Bella Swan: Muggle Squib Extraordinaire
by DivineDebris
Summary: Bella goes abroad to get past the pain she left behind in Forks, only to find a secret world more vast and unbelievable than she could have imagined. And her mind must still be running on AM, because the muggle-repelling charms just don't seem to work. Canon Timelines apply. HP is slight EWE, Twilight is AU after Edward leaves in New Moon.
1. The Not Quite Normal Forest

**Bella Swan: Muggle Squib Extraordinaire**

_Everything is dated according to each respective universe. Neville was born July 30, 1980 and Bella was born September 13, 1987. So Neville is currently 26, and Bella is 19._

**Chapter 1: The Not Quite Normal Forest**

**July 14, 2007**

_"You sure about this, Bells?"_ Charlie's words echoed in Bella's mind as she peered at the thick forest before her.

He'd uttered the phrase time and time again over the past two years as his only child continued to make questionable life decisions. First it was the decision to break up with Jake. It's not like Charlie could have fathomed the true reason behind their split. When Edward had left her broken, Jacob had painstakingly picked up the pieces and helped her mend. But when Victoria attacked with her newborns, Embry and Seth were lost, and though no one blamed her directly – Bella knew she was to blame.

So she ended the strained relationship and focused on whatever grim future might be in store. Which led to the second time Charlie questioned Bella's decision-making abilities – where she would go to college and what she would study.

_"Folklore and mythology? I dunno, Bells. I always figured you for more of a…literary enthusiast than an anthropologist. And Scotland is so far away…are you sure about this, Bells?"_

Bella had done plenty of research and soul searching before deciding. Scotland had at least two universities that specialized in folklore, and the change of scenery – or continent rather – was just what she needed. And folklore…well, she'd either get closure from the abundance of supernatural creatures she'd known or else find even more strange and ridiculous beings.

Now Charlie was several thousand miles away, but she still heard his voice ringing in her ears. She had recently completed her second term at the University of Aberdeen, but instead of flying home to visit her family, she opted to stay over the summer and tour the countryside. And now she stood amongst a smattering of tourists, all ready to explore the woods of Scotland, and she was wavering between excitement and wistfulness.

"A'right then, everyone. These are some of the most famous forests in all Scotland. We've laid out trails every few kilometers, and today's expedition is a special treat. It's further north than we usually go, but we're thinking of expanding further in. So let's go to it then. All ready?"

The group nodded and followed the guide, venturing along an easy trail for nearly half an hour when Bella noticed the pathway abruptly ended, replaced by a thick growth of trees and shrubbery. She was about to ask if the tour guide had taken a wrong turn when at once several voices rang out.

"Blimey, I forgot all about my appointment!"

"_Oh dear, I was supposed to visit my grandmother today!"_

"_**Blazes, I'm late for an interview!"**_

"**Oh no, I'm supposed to go dress shopping right now!"**

Bella couldn't believe her ears. Within the course of a few seconds each and every person in her tour group, including the guide himself, all remembered some pressing appointment and hurried back the way they came. She almost followed in confusion, except for the glaring fact that there was no earthly way twenty people would suddenly remember varying appointments at exactly the same time. It screamed _supernatural_, and Bella was determined to get to the bottom of it.

_Are you sure about this, Bells?_ The echo of her father's sage words reminded her that she was once again embarking on a dubious undertaking, but Bella was feeling excited and somewhat reckless at the prospect of finding something paranormal and shrugged it off.

Tentatively climbing over the overgrowth of brush, she pressed forward through the thickening forest. Luckily it was midday and she was able to see ahead and keep out of the darkest areas. Unfortunately she had no water and the tour guide had taken all the snacks back with him, so Bella was beginning to feel slightly dizzy.

She knew she probably had no signal, but at least she could check the time on her cell phone. She pulled out the device, but to her astonishment the screen was going haywire until the phone just died altogether.

_What the…_

Estimating that she'd been hiking for nearly an hour, the realization that she'd foolishly gotten herself lost in a potentially enchanted wood began to dawn on Bella. What if she didn't find a way out before dark? _What if she didn't find her way out at all?_ She quickened her pace, stumbling along the least dense parts of the forest praying that somehow she'd manage to reach a clearing.

Another hour or possibly two passed, and the trees were growing closer together. Her footing became less secure, and she'd tripped a few times already. _Shoot_. Bella noticed blood dripping from her knees, and her stomach flipped with a nauseating faintness. She took a steadying breath to calm herself when she heard a rustling sound a few feet away.

Bella's breath hitched with fear, and she hid behind the nearest tree. What if it was a vampire? The rustling grew louder, and she had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from breathing too loudly. After several seconds the noise faded, and Bella finally dared to peek around the edge of the trunk.

_Dragons!_ Or at least that's what Bella thought they were at first. Their faces and scaly wings certainly resembled the legendary beasts, but they were admittedly smaller and much more docile than she would have guessed. In fact, if she'd squinted she might have guessed they were black, fleshy, winged horses.

Frozen to her spot next to the tree she inhaled choppy breaths as she watched the beasts. One of the smaller creatures edged in front of her, and before Bella knew it the fleshy horse dragon was licking the blood from her kneecaps.

She gasped, bracing for imminent attack, but none came. In fact the entire herd of beasts seemed quite pacified by her presence. Looking to the sky, Bella noticed the sun beginning to set, and a fresh wave of panic set in. The winged creatures began to disperse, so she did the only thing she could think of – she tried to speak to the horse dragon…thingies.

"Wait!"'

To her immense shock a few of the creatures stopped and stared at her, as if waiting for more, so taking a deep breath she continued.

"I'm lost. Can I please come with you?"

At first none of the little dragons moved, but finally one stepped forward and knelt in front of her.

"Oh." Bella realized she was going to have to mount the beast, so she gingerly climbed on its back and carefully gripped the bony ridge along the back of its neck.

At once the blackened creature took off into the dusky twilight, and Bella couldn't imagine a more unlikely scenario. But then – Bella _was _a danger magnet; she could hardly be surprised at this point.

The trees began to thin, and the beasts slowed as they neared a strange cottage. Night had fallen, but Bella felt much safer now that she was safely out of the forest and with these surprisingly gentle dragons.

She slid carefully off of her rescuer and looked around, and her eyes fell upon the most spectacular sight she'd ever seen. A castle glittered beyond the shack, alight with towers and turrets and torches, all reflecting serenely on a placid and peaceful looking lake.

"Where am I?" Bella mouthed to herself when a rough voice shook her from her reverie.

"Ah good, yer all back. Now Tenebrus, the headmistress wants the newest lot of ya trained with the carriages. I was thinking ye could show 'em how it's done tomorrow."

The creature next to Bella's mount left her side and approached the unknown voice. She could only see the man's silhouette, but the stature was more than enough to keep her in a terrified silence.

"Alright, Tenebrus, alright. What are ye so keen to show me?"

The gigantic man followed the black beast until they'd both caught sight of Bella. She squeaked as she took in the sight of the man and promptly fainted.

"Blimey." Hagrid scratched his beard in bemusement. "A muggle!"

* * *

**_I've had this idea for a while, so I figured I may as well plunk it out and see what happens. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy it so far. :) -V_**


	2. A School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**Chapter 2: A School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

"Professor Longbottom, you'd better get over here, quick!"

Bella shifted uneasily in the grass, eyes fluttering in the darkness.

"What is it, Hagrid? You're lucky I was still out at the greenhouses." A smooth baritone filtered in and out of her ears, sending shivers down her spine. Bella was half tempted to open her eyes fully and find the source of the voice, but it was too dark to see and she opted to keep quiet.

"Muggle I'd wager. Never seen a lass so scared in all my life."

_Muggle? What on earth was that?_

"A Muggle? But Hagrid, how did she get here? There are muggle repelling charms all over the grounds."

"I haven't the slightest how she got into the forest, but it's lucky she ran into the thestrals. Merlin knows what she could've run into if she'd been out there after night fall."

She shuddered involuntarily and realized she'd probably given herself away.

The one she guessed was Professor Longbottom cleared his throat and crouched by her side. "Are you alright, miss?"

Bella sat up carefully and peered at the man in front of her. He was wearing a light, button down shirt with rolled-up sleeves that allowed her to observe dimly-lit but well muscled forearms. His face was still obscured, but she felt much more comfortable with his presence than with the man called Hagrid.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was lost, but those dragon-horse things helped me get out of the forest."

"They're called thestrals," he almost laughed, but then his expression sobered. "But – how did you get in the forest in the first place?"

"I was on a tour, and the guide was taking us along a trail into the forest, and—"

"A tour?" The man called Longbottom looked confused, and the giant man interrupted.

"Sightseeing. Groups of muggles – er, people – going 'round to look at interesting sights."

The younger man nodded. "Oh, right. Sorry."

Bella bit her lip. These guys were getting weirder by the minute. "Anyway…we were going along this trail, but the trail ended, and everyone suddenly remembered appointments and meetings and their grandma's birthdays and just…left."

"Everyone except you." He stood up sighing lightly, and Bella could finally see his face in the light emanating from the hut. In the dim light she could see his dark eyes, tousled hair, and chiseled face. He held out his hand, and after a few seconds of hesitation Bella clasped it and was lifted to her feet.

Bella's fingered tingled at the man's touch. It was neither ice cold – like Edward's had been – nor flaming hot like Jacob's; it was just right. That made Bella worry. These men were definitely not vampires, and they weren't wolves either. So what were they? She gazed up at the twinkling lights of the castle and grimaced.

"I'm really sorry for stumbling upon your castle…"

"My castle?" Longbottom burst with laughter. "Godric, no. This is a school. I'm a teacher here. As a matter of fact, Hagrid and I are both professors here. I'm Neville." The one named Hagrid also stepped closer, smiling brightly and nodding repeatedly.

_Neville_. Bella bit back a snort. Well that was certainly a proper name.

"This place is pretty well hidden for a school. And a castle…dang. I've never seen anything so grand in my life – let alone a school building."

Neville frowned at her comment. "The castle looks grand to you? It doesn't look like an old ruin?"

She smirked. "You're joking right? It's like it's right out of a fairy tale."

He frowned again and paused to appraise her, stopping when he noticed her knees. "You look like you got scraped up a bit. Would it be alright if I escort you to the hospital wing?"

"Yeah, but would it be okay if I had something to eat too? It's been awhile."

"Of course." He continued to stare at her with wonder, and Bella couldn't help but wonder herself how she had managed to confound yet another group of potentially supernatural beings.

Neville offered his arm, and as they set off toward the castle she couldn't help but notice something familiar about his quiet temperament.

"So, uh, Neville. How long have you been here?"

"This upcoming term will be my fifth year teaching at Hogwarts."

This time Bella couldn't control her outburst of laughter. "I'm sorry, the name of this place is Hog…warts?"

"You know, I never really thought about it." Neville chuckled lightly, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. "I suppose it does sound a bit strange though to someone who's never heard of the place."

Bella's attention was diverted toward the aforementioned castle as they neared the massive doors and entered the dimly lit entrance hall.

"This is amazing," she spouted absentmindedly as they made their way up the grand staircase. "How long has this place been around?"

"Eleven...twelve centuries, give or take." He grinned at her obvious awe, but then Bella noticed a hint of worry flicker across his face as their eyes made contact. "Madam Pomfrey will have you good as new in no time. Then, er, Professor McGonagall will probably want to see you. She's headmistress here at Hogwarts." The crease between his eyebrows grew more pronounced, and Bella felt a sense of foreboding at the mention of this _Professor McGonagall_. Neville definitely seemed to be hiding something.

They took a left turn upon reaching the first level, and Neville led her to what she presumed must be the Hospital Wing. He led her in hesitantly.

"Poppy, have you got a moment?"

A much older lady wearing garb that closely resembled Puritan attire came bustling out of her office.

"What is it, Neville? Are the Venomous Tentaculas causing trouble again? I told you they shouldn't be kept so close to the open windows...Oh!" She had just caught sight of Bella, who smiled in somewhat of an awkward, shy twitch of the lips. "My dear girl, what happened to your knees? Sit down at once!"

Bella obeyed, taking a seat on the nearest cot.

"Hagrid found her next to the whole lot of thestrals just outside his hut," Neville filled in who Bella was sure was Madam Pomfrey. "Says she got lost in the Forbidden Forest."

"Oh, good heavens, child. You know it's never safe to venture out alone in the Forbidden Forest, especially so close to nightfall." The kindly woman began applying a thick salve to Bella's kneecaps, then wrapped them in a light gauze.

Bella blushed deeply. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"You didn't know? How on earth didn't you..." She turned to Neville astonishment. "Professor Longbottom, do you mean to tell me that you've brought a muggle into Hogwarts?"

Bella's companion paled, and she took the pause to ask something for herself. "Can someone please tell me what a muggle is?"

Madam Pomfrey's eyes bulged, apparently no longer needing an answer. _Whatever a muggle was - Bella almost certainly was one_.

"Why I've never in all my days at Hogwarts..." She paused peering sympathetically at Bella. "Forgive me, what is your name, dear?"

"Bella Swan," she answered cautiously.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I've tended to your injuries, but I'm not sure I'm the right person to answer your questions. The headmistress will want to see you."

Neville looked away, as if to avoid the impending confrontation, and Bella's anxiety rose to the forefront.

Finally she sighed, "I suppose there's no point in beating around the bush then." Neville and Madam Pomfrey stared at her quizzically. "I mean there's no point in putting it off..."

"Right, of course," Neville nodded in understanding. "Well, I suppose you'd better follow me."

"Farewell, Miss Swan," Madam Pomfrey waved almost apologetically, and Bella continued to wonder just what she had gotten herself into.

"So, Bella, huh?" Neville commented as he led her back up the main stairway. "That's a pretty name."

"Thanks." Conversation had dwindled as her thoughts centered around speculation of the Headmistress, and Neville seemed deep in thought as well.

After a few minutes of the gentle rhythm of ascending footsteps they reached the top of the staircase, and the pair continued down a torch lit corridor until they seemingly reached a dead end with only a great, stone gargoyle there to meet them.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Bella scrunched her face in confusion.

"Of course we are," Neville grinned reassuringly. Then facing forward he uttered, "_Scaraben, stone, and bog._"

The gargoyle leapt to the the side, and Bella shrieked, clutching to Neville's arm. "Wha-wh...what just happened?"

"It's all right, Bella. You'll see."

Her eyes locked with his, and she nodded slowly, choosing to trust him - for better or worse. "Okay." Maybe it was a mechanical gargoyle…for security purposes. She followed Neville onto a sort of spiraling, stone stair as it ascended until they reached yet another door.

He rapped on the door loudly, and to Bella's surprise it opened of its own accord. She stayed close behind Neville as he strode into the room, but Bella marveled at the slew of curious trinkets and shimmering gadgets around the room.

"Professor Longbottom, I didn't expect to see you this evening, and who is that hiding behind you?"

Bella moved to Neville's side and nodded at the wizened but taut-featured woman. She looked ancient but stern, someone who would have been formidable in her prime.

"Minerva, this is Bella Swan. Hagrid discovered her shortly after our thestrals rescued her from the Forbidden Forest. She says she was on..._a tour group, was it?" _Bella nodded in affirmation. "Right, a tour group, but when they reached the borders of the forest surrounding Hogwarts everyone else felt suddenly remembered pressing appointments and left."

The headmistress narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "Forgive my skepticism, Miss Swan, but as I am unfamiliar with your name, and your story seems tenuous at best, you'll of course allow me to administer some veritaserum to you to confirm your tale."

Bella turned to Neville warily. "What's _veritoserum_?"

Neville coughed to cover his laugh. _"_It's perfectly harmless; it just makes you tell the truth until it wears off."

Bella blanched. Would they ask her about the vampires and werewolves? Would Jacob's tribe be in danger? Who were these people anyway?

"How long does it take to wear off?"

Neville shrugged, so Bella turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Only a few minutes...if you are cooperative of course."

Bella shuddered. "I don't have much choice, do I?"

To this the headmistress pursed her lips sympathetically. "I'm afraid not, Miss Swan." She turned to one of the many portraits of sleeping old people and to Bella's surprise, spoke to one.

"Severus, go to your other portrait in the dungeon and ask Professor Burke to bring a prepared mixture of veritaserum to my office at once."

The man in the portrait shifted, glaring at the headmistress. "As if that poor excuse of a Potions master could possess the subtlety to prepare a concoction as delicate as veritaserum."

"Severus, please. Professor Burke is perfectly competent at preparing complex potions."

Grunting in noncommittal acquiescence, the man in the painting disappeared from the portrait, leaving nothing but the background.

Bella's mind might have exploded. "Okay, what is going on? How do stone gargoyles come to life a-and paintings move and speak? What is this place?"

The headmistress appeared quite nonplussed at her outburst. "Miss Swan, I'd have thought it was quite obvious. This is a school of witchcraft and wizardry."

Bella's gasp filled the entire room. "Holy crow." _First vampires, then werewolves, and now wizards and witches?_ Bella seemed destined to discover every supernatural being in existence.

* * *

_**Still just trying to figure this plot bunny out. Thanks for reading, and insights and ideas are most welcome. -V**_


	3. Unicorns and Rainbows

**Chapter 3: Unicorns and Rainbows**

"Alright, Ms. Swan. Tell me your full name." Polonius Burke, the resident Potions Master sat across from Bella with his arms folded.

She gave him an odd look. "Are you sure this is supposed to make me tell the truth? I don't feel any different."

"Ms. Swan, your _name._ What is your name?"

She glanced at Neville and Professor McGonagall, the former of whom gazed at her with concern and kindness and the latter of which with wary shrewdness.

Her mind drifted back in time to Edward and how he hadn't been able to hear her thoughts. She recalled the tourists who mysteriously remembered nonexistent appointments. She thought back to how surprised Neville was when she had seen a glittering castle instead of an old ruin. At that moment an incredible possibility occurred to her.

_Was_ it possible? Could Bella's mind be protecting itself somehow?

That gave her two options – she could lie and let them believe the serum was working, or she could tell the truth.

Taking a deep breath, Bella knew there was really only one thing to do.

"My name is Isabella Marie Swan, but I didn't have to tell you that."

Surprisingly Professor Burke looked unconvinced. "You say you divulged the information of your own accord, Ms. Swan, but perhaps it is you who are mistaken."

Neville rose from his chair, his mind clearly in the same frame as Bella's. "And what if she's telling the truth? Can't people with strong enough wills – or an occlumens – can't they negate the effects?"

"Are you trying to tell me that this..._muggle_ is an accomplished occlumens?" Professor Burke scoffed at Neville. "Let a real expert do his work, and go back to the greenhouses, Longbottom."

Bella stared at the potions teacher in disbelief. Neville looked like he wanted to argue, but gradually he clenched his fist and sank back into his chair in silent humiliation, and she felt a pang of empathy for him.

"Back to the point," Professor Burke rolled his eyes. "Isabella Swan, where are you from?"

Bella bit her lips together as a blossoming plot entered her mind. She was going to turn the tables on that arrogant Potions Master.

"Antarctica." She cleared her throat to keep a straight face. Professor McGonagall's face snapped up in shock, but her interrogator seemed none the wiser.

"And what brought you from this '_Antarctica_' to Hogwarts?"

"Well, the penguin...robot army was starting to take over, so I chiseled this rowboat out of ice and rowed until the ice melted off the coast of...Swizzlestick Land." She internally squealed with glee when she noticed Neville coughing into his fist to keep from laughing. Even the headmistress was fighting back the hint of a grin. "Then I hitched a ride with some...unicorns, and they flew me to the...rainbow bridge."

Professor Burke's mouth fell open, and Bella burst into laughter.

"But – unicorns don't fly."

"Oh, these ones do, because they...eat magic corn." She was dying!

At this Neville could contain his laughs no longer, and even Professor McGonagall elicited a surprising snort.

"That's quite enough, Miss Swan. I'm certain the Potions professor has been entertained long enough."

"I don't understand." The Professor Burke turned to the headmistress. "The potion was brewed flawlessly—"

"Hardly..." the painted portrait man interjected.

"Severus, please," Minerva cut him off. "The potion is adequate, as it has successfully worked on other subjects. Therefore the only reasonable explanation is that this girl has somehow managed to override its effects." She turned to Bella, "Miss Swan, you must understand the delicacy of this situation. We cannot simply allow strangers to come prancing past the protective barriers of this school on a whim. We must verify your identity, and if necessary, modify your memory to ensure that every ensuing action has been done in accordance with the Ministry of Magic's Statute of Secrecy."

Bella sat in silence for exactly five seconds. Modifying her memory was _not_ an option, so the only thing left was to cooperate fully and hope for the best. "My name is Bella Swan. I'm from Forks, Washington, but I've been attending school in Scotland."

McGonagall studied her response carefully. "Have you ever come into contact with our kind before?"

"No."

Clasping her hands together, the headmistress leaned forward ever so slightly. "Why venture into the forest when the clear and logical option was to leave it?"

"I just...had to find out what was out there. I suppose I have been called a danger-magnet in the past. If it hadn't been for the thestrals who knows what could have happened."

"We know what could happen," Neville murmured with a distant look in his eyes.

"Miss Swan, do you consider yourself like other muggles?"

"Maybe? I still don't know for sure what a muggle is."

"People without magic," Burke burst out from his new seat across the room. His tone was almost scathing, and Bella couldn't help but wonder if he was that nasty all the time.

"Well, I look like everyone else I guess." _Except for the Cullens, or Jacob's pack, but did they even count as muggles? Probably not._ "I just always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Thank you, Miss Swan. You have been exceedingly helpful. Polonius will escort you to an Obliviator to have your memory modified, at which point you we will make sure you are found by the proper muggle authorities."

"Please, I won't tell anyone." Somehow in the chaos of her brain, Bella's eyes found Neville's, and she could see the hesitation clear in his expression.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I wish we didn't have to."

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Professor Burke spat, "she won't even remember this conversation in a few minutes."

Bella stood in a swift sharp motion. "Don't do this, please!"

Before she could blink Professor McGonagall pulled a thin, wooden stick from her robes and pointed it directly at her.

"_Petrificus_ _Totalus_."

Suddenly Bella couldn't move. It was like every muscle in her entire body was frozen solid, and yet she could still hear and breathe.

"In view of Miss Swan's unforeseen complications, I feel it would be best if we handle this immediately. Polonius, are you still adept at memory charms?" Bella spied the headmistress turn to the Potions professor out of the corner of her eye.

"Of course, Minerva," he replied smugly. "I'd be happy to oblige." He then pulled out a thin stick of his own.

Bella braced herself, wishing there was a way to hold on to this place for just a moment longer.

"_Obliviate!"_

A curious thing happened at that moment. Whatever incantation had been directed at her seemed to rebound back onto the Potions Master, and in turn he was blasted backwards across the room.

"Good Heavens! Get Poppy at once!" Minerva cried at a portrait Bella couldn't see, and she rushed toward the fallen teacher. "Is everything alright? Professor Burke?"

The man named Polonius Burke peered up at the headmistress. "I'm sorry, who are you?"


	4. Muggle, Witch, or Other

**Chapter 4: Muggle, Witch, or Other**

As soon as it became clear that Bella had caused the spell to rebound, the atmosphere completely changed. Neville couldn't stop smirking, McGonagall was in a frenzy, and oddly enough, the whole of Hogwarts seemed to welcome her with open arms.

She'd been ushered from the Headmistress' Office to a spacious, comfortable commons area of sorts with food and an amazing soda that tasted like a mixture of butterscotch, root beer, and possibly something stronger.

Madam Pomfrey and a handful of witches and wizards she didn't know kept bustling in and out, asking her if she was comfortable. One in particular, an aged wizard with a multifaceted magnifying glass kept peering at Bella with rapt fascination.

"Curious. Very curious."

Neville sat next to her on the couch, appraising the growing crowd with dissatisfaction.

"You know why they're all here?" He leaned close to her ear and whispered, causing shivers to run down her shoulder. "McGonagall reckons you're not a muggle after all. They're all saying only a very powerful witch could have blocked a spell like that without a wand."

She sat quietly for a moment, filing away the vocabulary. "Do you think I'm a muggle?"

He turned to face her, gazing straight into her eyes with a depth that almost frightened her. "I don't think it matters."

The old man with the odd lenses must have been eavesdropping, because he joined in the conversation without so much as an introduction.

"On the contrary, Mister Longbottom. It matters very much if she is a muggle...or if she's a witch...or perhaps, something _more._"

Bella shuddered, morbidly curious what he could possibly mean.

"Bella, this is Garrick Ollivander. He's a wandmaker and one of the finest wizards I've ever known."

Mr. Ollivander made no gesture toward Neville. He simply pulled a tape measure from the pocket of his robes and continued speaking.

"The wizarding world can be full of light and wonder," he leaned in toward her face, "but it can also be full of great darkness."

"Okay...?" She was genuinely spooked by this Ollivander guy.

"Unless I am very much mistaken, you removed a skillful wizard's memory with nothing more than your mind whilst being held by a full body-bind curse. Take care, Bella Swan. It may yet be that you are a muggle, but there is _great _power in you. Wield it wisely." He stood, nodding to Neville and heading toward the door. Then he called back to the pair just as his hand reached the handle. "I should like to test a few wands on you – for...curiosity's sake. You may stop by any time." Then Mr. Ollivander returned the tape measure to his robes and exited the room.

"Wow, he seemed...interesting." Bella sat back, ignoring the other onlookers for the time being. "What did he mean, I can _stop by any time_?"

"Ollivander has a wand shop in Diagon Alley."

"_Diagon-alley_?" Bella snorted. "I'm trying, Neville, I swear, but some of these names..."

"Just wait, it gets better – or worse, you know, depending on how you look at it."

She laughed, glad to have someone she could joke around with.

"So do you think I should test out wands?"

His expression became thoughtful for a moment. "What do you have to lose?"

"With my luck, everything," she half-joked.

She thought of Charlie and her mom in Florida. How long would it be until they began to worry? How long would it be until they began to look for her? Bella knew they'd never even get close; they were just like everyone else, minds running on FM and leaving their thoughts open to the Edwards and Polonius Burkes and other mind-invading supernatural beings of the world.

But was there really so much left to lose? She'd lost the Cullens. She'd lost Jake. Was it really so hard to give up the rest?

Yes it was. But Bella knew she was going to do it anyway.

"You're going to show me how to get there, right?" she smiled for good measure.

"Of course I am. Now come on, let me show a few spells you might see, so you aren't shrieking at every shop along the way."

They laughed, and she followed her friend away from the growing mob of strangers. There was no turning back now.


	5. No Way of Knowing

**Chapter 5: No Way of Knowing**

**July 16, 2007**

"Yeah, pretty sure this one's not going to work either." Bella threw her head down in a mixture of disappointment and boredom. Had she really thought she could be a witch? _Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic._

Mr. Ollivander ignored her complaints. "Rowan and Dragon Heart-string. Ten and a half inches. Pliable."

It came as no surprise when nothing happened. Neville had left a few times to run errands and get lunch over the course of the last few hours, but now he was asleep on a small chair near the front of the shop.

"None of these wands are going to work. Face it."

"Isabella Swan, if there is even the slightest chance that there is a wand for you we will discover it."

She sat up a little straighter, feeling scolded. "Even if there is a possibility that a wand would work for me, I'm not exactly your average muggle...or witch...or anything. Don't you think the wand would be different too?"

Mr. Ollivander stopped short. "Ah, yes. I see. Bella Swan, if we are to discover your wand, I must know what it is about you that sets you apart from the rest. What is it about _you_?"

Bella hesitated, glancing back at Neville a few times to make sure he was still asleep. She didn't exactly know or trust Mr. Ollivander, but if there was even the slightest chance of honing any supposed magical powers inside of her, then she was sure he needed to know a few more details.

"When I was seventeen I fell in love with...someone." Ugh, she couldn't even say it. "A-a vampire." Ollivander said nothing but raised an eyebrow. "He had the ability to read minds, but mine was the only one he couldn't read." She decided to leave the werewolves out of it. Bella knew she couldn't bear it if something she said put them at even more risk. "And then the...muggle repelling charms didn't work on me, and the veritaserum failed too. The only power, if it even is a power, is that no one can get in my head. I don't even know if it's enough to make a difference though."

The wandmaker said nothing for nearly a full minute before replying. "You say you felt out of place amongst the muggles. Discern your true feelings carefully, my dear – how did your vampire make you feel?"

"Like I was home," she said matter-of-factly. But then she thought back to the end – the gaping hole in her chest that would never be filled after Edward left. And Jake...he'd given her a hole of his own now too – a hollow reminder of everything she made him lose. "I guess that's not the only thing he made me feel."

"Yes?"

"When he left, I felt broken...like a shattered vase...or a puzzle with missing pieces, I guess..."

"That is not unusual in vampire-human relations, I'm afraid," he mused articulately.

"Vampires and human relationships are common?" Bella could hardly believe what she is hearing.

"Amongst wizards and witches it is not unheard of, and of course it depends on the species of demon."

"They're not demons," she contested hotly, "not all of them."

"Nonetheless, it is far more rare – if not impossible – for muggles and vampires of any class to engage in successful relationships. One way or another, the human almost always meets death before their time."

"Oh." Bella couldn't really argue with that. James had almost killed her, and then his mate Victoria tried to avenge his death by attempting to kill her numerous times. If it hadn't been for the werewolves, there's no way she'd still be alive.

"Come back in a week's time, Bella Swan. I think I may have what you are looking for, or rather, what is looking for _you._"

Bella nodded, filled with an odd, fluttery, hopeful feeling. She walked up to Neville, poking him hard in the shoulder.

"Neville, come on. We can go now."

She expected him to stumble or fall out of his seat based on the angle of his body, but instead Neville jumped from the chair, pointing his wand straight at Bella.

"Whoa!" Bella jumped back but somehow tripped over a broom in the process, and she sailed in slow motion toward the ground. Fortunately, before she made contact with the floorboards Neville used some kind of wordless spell to stop her in midair.

"Sorry about that, Bella. I must have been having a flashback." He grabbed her hands, and she collapsed into his arms as he used the counter charm. It was like the rush of an elevator just before it stops moving, though she had to admit that Neville felt far nicer than cold, metal handrails. But then she recalled why she'd been falling in the first place and pushed away.

"You looked like you were about to curse me! What _was_ that?"

"I told you, a flashback."

"Of you attacking people?"

"It's not what you think...I didn't mean..."

"Hey, you don't need to explain yourself to me. It's not my business." Of course the one, real friend Bella had to make in the wizarding world would have a violent streak. It was just her luck.

Neville, misreading her morbid self-examination, grew visibly more and more frustrated until he couldn't seem to handle her accusing gaze any longer. He turned to Ollivander. "Whatever she bought, just...send me the bill." Then he tore from the shop without so much as a backward glance.

"Wha—" Bella stared dumbly out the window until Neville disappeared from view.

"You have a great deal to learn about this world, Bella Swan," Ollivander appeared beside her suddenly, causing her to jump, "Mister Longbottom has endured far more than you can imagine. I would advise learning more about him before casting any sort of ill-conceived judgment."

"I didn't really...Besides, he doesn't exactly seem eager to tell me his life story at the moment."

"The library at Hogwarts has a section on notable events and biographies if I am not mistaken."

"He has a book?" Bella was stunned.

"He is a war hero. One who saved many lives during the last great war against _He-who-must-not-be-named_. You would do well to research such matters, if you plan on staying long."

The last thing he said, _if you plan on staying long_, stuck out to Bella. Just how long did she plan on staying? Bella enjoyed studying at the university, but here the folklore was tangible – _reality_. She'd made no lasting attachments nor made any commitments that required her to return to the muggle world. So she could stick around at least a month or two. Surely no witch or wizard could fault her for wanting to stay. It would be difficult to explain to Charlie later, but he'd forgive her in time.

"I'll look into it," she nodded to Ollivander. "Thank you. For all your help."

She left the shop quickly but became instantly aware that she had no idea where Neville had gone or how to get back to Hogwarts. She certainly couldn't magick herself into thin air the way Neville had done. It was difficult enough to stomach the journey, let alone imagine that she could ever do it herself. No, she'd just have to go look for him.

Edging toward a street called Knockturn Alley, Bella made her way down, hoping that somehow she would find Neville.

* * *

She hadn't even passed the first shop before a man in jet black robes approached her.

"Looking for someone?" His voice was low and gravelly, and Bella immediately regretted coming this way.

"N-Neville Longbottom." Maybe she was just overreacting. After all, it sounded like she had misjudged Neville. Perhaps this man wasn't so bad either.

He definitely recognized the name, though Bella wasn't sure if that was a good thing yet.

"I know Longbottom, alright. Came this way, he did. I'd be _happy_ to escort you."

Warning bells were going off in Bella's head. "No, I don't need to see him. I was just curious. Thanks anyway." She turned to run when the man grabbed her arm roughly.

"Don't be so modest. I know he wants to see you."

"Let go of me," she grunted, trying to wrench herself from his grasp, but his grip wouldn't loosen. The man sneered, dragging Bella behind the first shop.

"_Lie._" Bella had heard those words before, but the voice sounded different. It wasn't Edward's velvety smooth voice, nor Jacob's deep resonance. This was Neville's melodic baritone, a voice which surprised her almost as much as her current predicament.

"Neville knows I'm here."

"Unlikely," the wizard laughed, and he threw her near a pile of trash cans and horrid smelling rot, which unfortunately splashed all over her clothes. "Longbottom's not the _type_ of wizard that comes 'round Knockturn Alley. Thinks it's not decent." He laughed again, and Bella's skin prickled with fear. He pulled out a wand from his robes, and pointed it straight at her. "Don't scream."

The first time Bella had found herself in this kind of situation she hadn't thought to scream. She thought that somehow she'd be able to take on the group of men who had cornered her so long ago in Port Angeles. But Edward wasn't going to show up this time, and she knew she didn't stand a chance.

Bella's scream pierced the sky, catching the man totally off guard as it reverberated off the bricks into the open air. She wasn't very far down the darkened street; if she kept screaming, maybe Neville would hear.

"_Silencio!_"

The scream cut off completely, and to her horror Bella realized she could not make any sound at all. Thinking fast, she picked up a lid to one of the rubbish bins and held it in front of her like a shield.

She heard footsteps creeping toward her, and she crouched against the bricks for dear life.

"_STUPEFY!_"

Bella knew that voice. _She knew that voice! _Peeking above her makeshift shield she spotted her would-be attacker unconscious near some overflowing sewage and Neville Longbottom standing at the entrance to the alley, looking fierce.

"Bella," he strode over, lifting her into his arms and embracing her tightly.

"Don't," she squeaked out amidst her shaking limbs, "I smell horrible."

Neville chuckled, grasping her more tightly. "I'm not going anywhere. Close your eyes."

She felt the same, distinct pressure on her skull as before, and she knew Neville was apparating.

With a pop, they landed near the same smattering of trees they had departed from, and Bella knew they were back in Hogsmeade.

She collapsed gratefully against the nearest tree, still shaking. "How did you find me?"

He sat down beside her. "I was in The Leaky Cauldron, sorting out my thoughts, when some bloke walks into the pub, having a laugh about the girl looking like a muggle who'd just wandered down Knockturn Alley." His breathing wavered slightly. "I took off to try and find you, and when I heard you scream, Bella, I thought—" He buried his face in his hands. "I should've realized you wouldn't know where to go. Some dark wizards...you don't know what they're capable of."

"You're right." She felt her nose start to get that fuzzy feeling just before crying. "I didn't know. I'm sorry for not understanding...and for what I said."

"Godric, Bella." Neville leaned his head back until it hit the tree and sighed heavily after a few seconds. "You _are_ a danger magnet."

She half-smiled, glad that Neville wasn't too upset. "Will you forgive me?"

He looked right into her eyes, and Bella was filled with a vaguely familiar fluttery sensation in the pit of her stomach. "There was no way you could have known what happened before you got here." Then he took her hand, squeezing it lightly for a brief moment. The air felt much thicker as his fingers lingered on hers, and in that instant, Bella suddenly found it harder to breathe.


	6. A Bit of Light Reading

**Chapter 6: A Bit of Light Reading**

**July 17, 2007**

The next day Bella sat in the library wearing a set of plain school robes that had been left by a former student. She'd spent the morning perusing a book entitled '_The Second Wizarding War: From Hogwarts to Horcruxes_'. Neville had been mentioned a handful of times, but it only left Bella anxious to discover more.

Finally she found a book called '_Heroes of the Last Great War_', and she began reading about his life. There wasn't a lot mentioned about his earlier years, but a few key events stood out. Some of them were heartbreaking, like his parents being tortured into insanity by four Death Eaters, including the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange. Some stories made her laugh, like the Defense Against the Dark Arts class that ended with Cornish pixies lifting Neville onto a chandelier. Then some events made her feel confused, like the irrational sense of jealousy she felt when Ginny Weasley (now Ginny Potter) accompanied him to the Yule Ball in his fourth year.

But as she continued to read, those petty feelings faded into a more somber attitude. She cried after reading about the end of his fifth year, when Bellatrix tortured him in the Department of Mysteries. Then she bawled as he led Dumbledore's Army in his seventh year at Hogwarts, narrowly escaping torture and death to save those who couldn't defend themselves. But when she read about him pulling the Sword of Gryffindor from a fiery Sorting Hat and slaying the snake that contained last hidden portion of Voldemort's soul, she was in complete, unadulterated awe.

She was just getting to the passages about his role with Aurors during the aftermath of the war when the all too familiar wizard's voice startled her.

"Bella, I didn't see you at lunch, so I thought you might be – are you alright?"

She sniffed, wiping her eyes quickly. "Yeah, I'm great. Thanks, Neville."

He sat beside her and tipped up the corner of the book until he spotted the title. "Ah. I see you've been catching up on your history."

She let out a hysteric exhale that sounded more like a muted shriek. "Yep."

Scooting a bit closer to her side, she could suddenly feel his warmth through the fabric of her robes. "It doesn't change who I am, you know."

Bella coughed incredulously. "When I was fifteen...I was worrying about how to flirt with boys and not trip over my own two feet. You were fighting dark wizards and trying to save the world. And then just a couple of years later you _did_ save the world."

"You're thinking of Harry."

"I'm thinking of _you_." Lately she couldn't _stop _thinking about him. "Maybe you weren't the _Chosen One _who got all the publicity and the spotlight, but you are a hero. I feel like I'm not even worthy to be in your presence."

"Don't be ridiculous," he sighed. "They only dramatize the good sounding stuff in there. Before all these things happened, people used to call me a squib. They didn't even think I had any magic. My own family – pure-blooded wizards, the lot of them – thought I was might be the shame of the family."

"Your own family?" She felt a pang of sympathy for him. "That's awful."

"It is," Neville shrugged, "but I proved them wrong. And whether you're a muggle, or a witch, or some strange thing in the middle, you're going to prove that you're worth it too."

Her cheeks grew hot, and she turned away to hide the blush. "Thanks."

"Now come on, I made the house elves save you something good to eat."

"House elves?" She was learning more and more every minute. "Just a sec, I need to put these books back."

Just before closing '_Heroes of the Last Great War_' she noticed Neville's birth-date in small letters near his name. Making a mental note to herself, Bella returned the book to the shelf. She would get him something, and she would let him know he was worth it too.


	7. Surprise

**Chapter 7: Surprise**

**July 20, 2007 **

"You sure you'll be alright?" Neville smirked at Bella with a hint of skepticism.

"Yes, I just need some more _regular_ clothes. I swear I'll only stick to the main roads."

"No dark alleys?" A hint of a grin played on the edge of his lips.

"I'll be back by lunch. Promise."

Before she could leave the pub, he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Seriously, Bella. Be safe." The depth of his gaze seemed to see right through to her soul, and she could feel her breath waver as she nodded goodbye.

Stepping out onto the streets of muggle London, Bella glanced back at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron with a satisfied grin. _Yet another place that couldn't be hidden from her._

Neville didn't know it, but the real reason for her trip was to get him something for his birthday. She knew he liked plants and things related to Gryffindor, but that limited what she could buy in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. So she decided it had to be from the muggle world – something he wouldn't be able to get in a wizarding shop – but still something he would appreciate.

Stopping at a nearby ATM stall, Bella withdrew money and slipped it into a safe spot under her shirt. Then sticking only to the larger roads as promised, she made her way to a flower shop where she could purchase some seeds.

She ordered some that she thought he might like and headed back the way she came. Along the way Bella spied the crystalline figure of a lion in the window of a trinket shop. Something about the way its mane seemed to catch fire in the light struck her, so she decided to purchase it too, in case the seeds weren't shipped in time. Then she bought some jeans and t-shirts at a department store for the sake of credibility...and also because she probably needed them.

It was a longer walk than she'd anticipated to get back to the Leaky Cauldron, and Neville was already waiting by the time she arrived.

"Am I late?" Bella approached him tentatively.

"That depends. Do Americans typically eat lunch at two in the afternoon?" He shook his head in melodramatic disapproval.

"Wha...there's no way I took that long!" But when she peered over at the nearest clock, there was no debating that point, so she immediately shifted to a different approach. "...Yes, Americans eat lunch at two."

"Oh, really," he joked. "So I suppose there's nothing to argue about?"

"Nope," she could barely hold back the grin aching to escape at the corners of her lips.

"Merlin, you're a terrible liar, Bella."

"That's what you think."

He raised a brow musingly. "Alright, alright. I bet you're starved, regardless of how _punctual_ you say you are."

As if on cue, Bella's stomach rumbled, and the wizard burst out laughing.

"Come on. Let's eat." He grabbed her hand, leading her out of the pub, and Bella couldn't help but notice the tingle of her fingers as she held on.

* * *

After lunch Neville had to gather a few supplies for the upcoming term, so they stopped by an apothecary. Bella tried hard not to gape, but everything she came across was so fascinating that disguising her amazement proved easier said than done.

She felt more at ease in the bookstore, where magic was less overt. During their browsing they bumped into a witch with wild, honey-colored hair.

"Hermione?"

"Neville!" The petite woman embraced Neville, and Bella stood back so as not to draw attention to herself. "How are you? I haven't seen you since before last term?"

"I got some new exotic plants for the advanced classes next year, so I'm making sure they're looked after."

"Well, you really ought to stop by for dinner sometime. Harry and Ron will want to see you. And...Miss Swan is more than welcome to come if you want to bring a date."

Three concurrent thoughts crashed in Bella's brain at the same time. One_:__ This must be Hermione Granger, muggleborn hero of the wizarding world._ Two_: Hermione Granger knew her name. _Three_: A date? With Neville?_

"Bella's barely been here a week. Don't go scaring her off," he laughed.

_Well, that made _his _feelings clear._ Bella decided to steer the conversation far from further awkwardness and potential embarrassment. "Well...I'm actually more surprised that you know who I am. Aren't you Hermione Granger?"

The witch held out her hand, shaking Bella's politely. "It's Hermione Weasley now. Ron and I got together after the end of the war."

"Oh, right." Bella felt relieved for some odd reason. "So, how many people actually know I'm here?"

The famed witch scrunched her nose as she deliberated. "Well, after Professor Burke was sent to St. Mungo's the Ministry of Magic took immediate interest in your case, so at least thirty people there, unless it's been delegated to sub-levels, then hundreds quite possibly. It's actually going back and forth between departments, since we're not certain whether to classify you as a muggle, hag, or witch yet."

"Hag?" Bella's mouth fell open. "People think I might be a hag?"

"No one _really_ thinks that," she spouted on. "We're just not positive what jurisdiction you fall under given your _unique_ situation. It's made matters rather complicated as I'm sure you can imagine."

Neville placed a reassuring hand on Bella's shoulder. "Hermione's Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

_Law enforcement?_ Bella's eyes widened in surprise. "For the record...I don't know if my word counts for anything, but I really didn't mean to do that _thing _to Professor Burke."

"We know that, Bella," Hermione smiled. "That's all being taken care of. We just don't know what to do with _you_."

"Nobody does," Bella grumbled.

"Neville, come to the house this weekend, and bring a _friend _if you like," the witch grinned. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Bella. I hope we can chat again soon."

Neville furrowed his eyebrows after his famous friend had left. "That was strange."

"Yeah, I can't believe she knew who I was."

"Not that. I've just never seen Hermione leave a bookshop without getting anything."

She rolled her eyes. "Right." If that was what Neville considered the strangest occurrence today, then Bella had nothing to worry about. Well, except _maybe_ having feelings for Neville...and being monitored by the Ministry of Magic...and possibly being a hag!

"I'm not finding what I'm looking for. Do you want to check a few more shops before heading back?"

"Sure," she said without a second thought.

"Great," he smiled at her in a way that made her thoughts go hazy, and Bella knew there were no _maybes_ about it.

She'd fallen for yet another supernatural being, and she'd fallen hard.


	8. Mayhem

**Chapter 8: Mayhem**

**July 22, 2007**

Bella sat near the edge of a small pond, sporting a perfectly horrific white beard and wishing the nightmare would end. Neville had warned her that some of the Weasley progeny were rather mischievous, but she never expected the adorable six-year-old named Fred to be the wielder of mayhem.

She'd been busy admiring the chaotic splendor of the house and meeting people she'd only ever read about in the library at Hogwarts. So when George and Angelina's little boy offered her an innocent looking sweet she hardly gave it a second thought. It wasn't until the beard began to tickle her arms and Ron burst out laughing that Bella realized something was amiss, and she fled the house without looking back.

"_Bella!_" Neville's voice echoed around the other side of the house, and she buried her face in her arms.

As she was sitting there in front of a large tree, the sound of something scratching around in the dirt beside her caused her to put all embarrassment aside for the moment. She peeked out above her arms, and to her immense surprise, a grubby potato with a face burst out of the ground.

"Holy crow!" She jumped up. "What are _you _– some kind of yam?"

To her further astonishment, the potato creature climbed out of the hole and mimicked her vocal tones with sarcastic grunts.

"What the..." Bella leaned in to get a closer look when the creature reached up, yanked her beard and began chuckling like a tiny child who had gotten ahold of too much helium.

"Ouch! You—!" Angry tears began to stream into her beard, and it only fueled her rage. Swinging her leg as hard as she could she tried to kick the horrid beast, but he ducked behind the tree and Bella ended up kicking a thick root instead.

Limping away from the horrible, little potato man, Bella collapsed by the edge of the garden and began to sob.

Several seconds passed, and she heard rustling near the garden. She realized the footfalls were too heavy to be the tiny monster from earlier and knew it could only be one person. "Bella?" Neville approached her with worry in his voice.

"Don't look at me!" she wailed miserably into her hands.

She heard a heavy exhale, then felt a familiar warmth at her side as he took a seat beside her in the grass.

"It's alright, Bella, we've all been victim to that same sweet at least once. Freddy didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Bella lifted her eyes but kept everything else below her nose hidden and muffled. "But did a dwarf pop out of the ground, and pull on _your_ beard, and start laughing at you?"

Neville chuckled. "Looks like you had a run in with a garden gnome. They're nearly as bad as George and his brood in there." He motioned inside lightheartedly. Then he pulled a similar looking sweet from his pocket. "This is the antidote...if you're interested."

Oh she was definitely interested. Reaching out with one hand, she snatched the candy and popped it into her mouth. The beard immediately began to shrink, and to Bella's overwhelming relief the snowy growth of hair vanished altogether.

"Thank goodness," she murmured, lifting her head when she was certain all the extra hair was gone. "I'll make sure to be more careful about accepting candy from children from now on."

He laughed softly, "And I'll make sure our next date is in far less devious company."

"Date?" Bella froze as his words registered. "This was...a date?"

"Well, ah, it doesn't have to be. I mean, Hermione said...but you don't, of course not if you don't want to—" He was clearly flustered, and Bella couldn't help but smile at this unexpected side of Neville.

"I don't mind if this is a date." It was nearly dusk outside, and she was grateful he couldn't see the blush rising in her cheeks. "I mean, I'd like if it was."

"Great," he said with relief. "Though you have to admit, it's a pretty terrible first one. Are you sure you want it to count?"

"Eh," she shrugged, "what's a first date without growing a beard and getting teased by a midget, potato man?"

Neville laughed softly. "You know, you're pretty amazing, Bella."

She noticed his eyes flicker toward her lips, and Bella felt her heartbeat thump heavily. He began to lean toward her...

_SCREAAAAACK!_

She jumped half out of her skin. "What in the heck was that?"

A giant tawny owl flew toward them, landing on Neville's forearm.

"That'll be the post." Neville detached the parchment and looked it over as the owl took off into the night sky. "It's for you," he added brightly. He then passed the note over, and she unrolled it carefully.

_Bella Swan,_

_Stop by tomorrow at your convenience._

_G. Ollivander_

"I think the wands are ready," she beamed. "Ollivander wants me to stop by tomorrow!"

To her confusion, Neville actually seemed a bit disappointed.

"It has to be tomorrow?" he scowled slightly.

"I'm guessing you're going to be busy?" she frowned.

"I have to accompany Professor McGonagall while she interviews a few candidates for Potions Master."

Bella gasped, "Professor Burke hasn't recovered?"

"He has no memory of anything at all."

"Oh my gosh. I feel terrible." Bella's power had actually caused someone to lose every memory they'd ever had. What if a wand only made her more dangerous? What if...

"It serves him right," Neville unwittingly interrupted her inner turmoil. "Burke was only supposed to modify your memories of that one day, but _that git _tried to erase everything." He clenched his fist. "What you managed that night, it was to protect yourself, Bella...and no one can fault you that."

She felt her cheeks burn beneath the smattering of clouds and starlight. "So you think I should still try to get a wand?"

"Absolutely." There was no hesitation, and Bella felt pacified.

"Well, I do have to figure out how to floo sooner or later..."

Neville peered back to the house. "I'd be willing to bet that someone in there would take you."

"Yeah...I'm not sure about that." After being royally pranked by a mere child of six, Bella wasn't sure she would ever be able to fully place her trust in a Weasley...or any child for that matter.

No, Bella was sure she could do this on her own.


	9. The Ultimate Shield

**Chapter 9: The Ultimate Shield**

**July 23, 2007**

Hermione walked alongside Bella in Diagon Alley the next morning, chatting away merrily.

"I'm so glad you asked if I could accompany you this morning, Bella. I usually have loads meetings on Mondays, but it's been a fairly slow weekend. I haven't seen someone get their first wand in years, and I'm incredibly curious how it will work out for you."

"Me too," Bella nodded politely. Hermione was nice and frankly a far better choice than some of the other Weasleys to accompany her, but she wasn't so sure she and the famed heroine would ever progress beyond a casual acquaintance.

She wouldn't have asked for help at all, but Harry began giving her a detailed description of the floo network and the sensation of being suctioned through a tube made of fireplaces, and she felt nauseous by the end of it all.

They arrived at the wand shop, and Bella followed behind the short witch – her nerves abuzz with uncertainty.

"_Bella Swan_," Mr. Ollivander peered out from a dusty aisle filled to the brim with narrow boxes. "And Ms. Weasley – a pleasant surprise."

Returning briefly to whatever task Ollivander had started, Bella could hear the sound of shuffling for several long seconds. Then the wandmaker appeared again, carrying three wand boxes and setting them carefully at the counter.

Bella faced him nervously. His eyes looked more intense than usual, as if that were possible, and he strummed the wand boxes in a deep, contemplative rhythm. "These wands, Bella Swan, have been among the most challenging I have ever encountered or conceived in my days as a wandmaker. They are each powerful in their own right and not to be taken lightly. I will only ask once, so consider carefully. _Are you ready?_"

She nodded her head quickly. "Yes." She wasn't _completely _certain she was ready at all, but Bella knew she could never let this last chance slip through her fingers. "I have to try."

"Very well." Ollivander drew a long, solid black wand from the box nearest her. "Here is the first. Ebony and Erumpent hide. Twelve and one-half inches."

"Erumpet?" Hermione visibly twitched at the mention of the core. "Are you quite sure that's safe?"

"I understand the reservations the Ministry may have concerning the wand cores I have chosen, but rest assured that I have tested them fully, and they are only as powerful as the witch or wizard who may wield them."

She didn't appear completely pacified, but Hermione gradually relented, and Mr. Ollivander placed the first wand in Bella's hand.

It felt flat and off, and after an unsuccessful wave of the wand she returned it to its box with acute disappointment, but Mr. Ollivander seemed undeterred as he held out the second box.

"No matter. Honduran Rosewood and Incubus hair. Eleven inches. Unyielding."

Bella gasped as the core registered in her mind. "Incubus? As in...hair from a vampire?"

"It was an idea that failed in its first several attempts. However after discovering a particular vampire with certain _attributes _it seems I may have discovered the missing piece of the puzzle," he stared at her knowingly.

"What was the vampire's name?" What if it was Edward, or a Cullen, or someone who knew them? Bella's insides trembled with anxiety.

"Their name is no matter, Bella Swan. I suggest you push all thoughts of their kind from your mind and focus only on what is inside _you._"

Well _that_ was impossible, but Bella did try to focus with all her might as she picked up the wand.

...

...

_Nothing._

No! That couldn't be it. Bella had always felt a kind of connection to the vampires, even after Edward had left her broken in the woods, but this wand not working made that feeling shatter like a blunted axe to the last root of a dying tree. After several seconds and a few desperate attempts at waving it around, the wand still lay limply in her hand, and she finally placed it back in the box, feeling humbled and defeated.

"I thought that one would work."

"As did I, my dear, but do not despair. Try the last wand."

He held out the last box, and Bella was immediately struck by the deep chocolate color of the wood. It was a rich, brown hue, much like the color of her eyes but joined with streaks of black which wrapped around the entire wand like a thousand tiny threads.

"Kingwood and Manticore spine. Nine and three-quarter inches. Impenetrable."

"Manticore spine?" Hermione's mouth fell open. "Manticores are Class Five category beasts! A single sting is instantly fatal, how on earth did you manage it?"

"With great difficulty and the aid of a certain half-giant," Ollivander said, "and yet, in the pursuit of such novelty, it was worth the effort in the end."

Hermione pursed her lips, disapproval clear in her features, but Bella didn't care. This was her last chance. Her hand hovered hesitantly over the wand until she finally grabbed it and held her breath.

Instantly she felt a tingle in her fingers. The wand, which had shone in dark ridges, now glowed in her hand. A wand chose her! _She had magic!_

Ollivander stroked his chin methodically. "It appears, Bella Swan, that you have been chosen _by your equal_. The ultimate shield."

"I don't understand—"

"It's an intriguing phenomenon," Hermione admitted, somewhat warily. "Kingwood is said to be imbued with incredible will-power, not to mention it's the most powerful wood for blocking spells in existence." Her increasing fascination of the idea appeared to gradually overshadow the witch's reservations concerning the core, and she began to speak more animatedly. "And the skin of the manticore is so strong that it repels every charm known to wizarding kind. You're probably holding the most powerful wand for blocking spells that the world has ever seen!"

"Oh..." She let a surprised exhale. "So does this mean I'm a witch?"

"Perhaps," Ollivander mused, "and perhaps not. It is clear you have magic, but as it is confined to a rather obscure branch there are some who may not know how to interpret your talents. Ms. Weasley, do you care to offer any insight on the matter?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed in deep thought. "If she can wield the wand and perform any spells, then that would currently classify her as a witch according to the specifications listed by the Ministry, though the present scope of her abilities ranks closer to some sort of squib than a full-fledged witch."

"A muggleborn squib?" Bella raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that kind of an oxymoron?"

"Of course it is," Hermione snapped, clearly frustrated. "There must be a term, something I'm missing. Surely a phenomenon like this would be mentioned in a book somewhere..."

"In the meantime," Mr. Ollivander politely interrupted, "you must learn to utilize your wand to the fullest, Bella Swan. It has chosen you for a purpose we cannot understand. Let it guide the magic within you, and become one with your destiny."

His words echoed in her ears, and the wand still tingled in her hand. "I will."


	10. Swish and Flick

_CANON WARNING: I'm taking creative liberties with Bella's magic, so just be aware that we are branching out from Twilight canon in terms of her powers._

**Chapter 10: Swish and Flick**

**July 26, 2007**

Bella had never been so frustrated with a simple feather in her entire life.

"I'm telling you both; I don't think I can do this one."

She sat with Hagrid and Neville in the courtyard with a look of grim annoyance plastered on her face.

"Nonsense, Miss Swan. I just reckon ye haven't quite got the technique down."

Neville stood a ways behind them observing Bella's movements with the wand carefully.

"Fine, I will try it _one_ more time!" she grumbled.

She swished.

She flicked.

"_Wingardium_ _Leviosa_."

...Nothing.

It took a great deal of willpower to keep the imagined slew of expletives from flying out of her mouth. "Can I please try something else?" she strained.

"Ah, don't think on it. I'm sure you'll get it in no time." The half-giant tried to reassure her.

Neville shook his head. "Bella's magic might not respond to basic spells the same as most wizards, Hagrid. Perhaps if we try teaching her a range of charms, it might get the quaffle flying."

_Quaffle? _Bella felt too disappointed to even ask.

"Bella, since the center of your magic is _in the mind_, you might have more success with charms that deal with the same sort of thing."

"Hey, I'm open to suggestions. Were you thinking of anything in particular?"

"A disillusionment charm. It's pretty advanced magic, but I think it might be right up your alley."

"I might as well," Bella shrugged. Theoretically things could only get better. They certainly couldn't get much worse...

Neville stepped forward, and now Hagrid stood back as the silent observer.

"Right, so a disillusionment charm is a spell that projects a sort of camouflage over yourself or someone else. The more powerful the spell, the more effective the disguise."

She bit her lip dubiously. "And you think I might be able to pull off a spell like that?"

"I do. Disillusionment charms don't actually make a person's body disappear; it only appears that way."

Bella nodded in understanding. "So it's all in the mind, meaning my weird, little, shield power thing might make me be able to see someone, even if they look invisible to everyone else."

"Right, and I'm hoping...if you can see _through_ the charm—"

"—that I'll be able to cast it too."

"Exactly," he grinned. "Now you're going to have to trust that I know how to cast a disillusionment charm, because it's probably going to look like nothing's changed to you."

Neville rapped his wand on his head, and as predicted, Bella saw no change.

"Hagrid, can you see me?"

The half-giant creased his eyes. "Not even a trace, Professor Longbottom."

"But you can see me, Bella?" He peered at her with clear anticipation.

"Well, yeah, I'm not even sure what I..." Bella absentmindedly let her hand rest on her wand, and to her amazement the scene altered before her eyes. Neville, who had appeared unchanged up until that point, was now blanketed in a warm, translucent haze around every inch of his body.

"Oh my gosh," she breathed. "I can see you, but...you're glowing. It's like you're covered in...some kind of blanket made out of sunlight." She put the wand back in her pocket carefully, and the glow disappeared. "And now you look the same as before..."

He tapped the wand on his head once more, shuddering involuntarily.

"Ah, there you are, Professor," Hagrid nodded.

Neville smiled, turning to Bella. "Alright then, Bella. You want to give it a go?"

"Yeah, sure." She pulled out her wand nervously. The odds of this working were a longshot, but those were odds she was willing to take.

"You can cast it verbally if feel more comfortable. The incantation is _latesco_."

"Latesco, got it."

Taking a quick breath, Bella lifted her wand and tapped it on her head while saying, "_Latesco._" When nothing happened, she was half tempted to throw her wand. "So my wand is some kind of antenna or superconductor for my own weird abilities, but I can't cast a single spell?"

"Bella, would you relax?" Neville grabbed her shoulder firmly. "I know you can do this. Just try to focus on what's inside of you."

With Neville still touching her shoulder Bella found it difficult to focus, but she decided to give it another shot anyway. Closing her eyes, she felt the electricity of Neville's thumb absentmindedly pressing against her collarbone. She followed the sensation in her mind until it ran deeper, like a thrumming resonance throughout her entire body. Focusing completely on that deepest current, Bella touched the wand to her head and spoke the incantation in her mind.

_Latesco._

Instantly she felt a chilling sensation run from the top of her head, oozing down to her toes, and she understood why Neville had shivered.

"Blimey!" Hagrid burst out. "You've done it, Miss Swan, and you've taken Professor Longbottom with you!"

Bella's eyes flew open. The sunny, shimmering glow had now settled on both of them, though Neville – who had retreated several paces – did not seem as thrilled.

"Er, Bella, can you see me perchance?"

"Yes," she laughed. "Can't you?"

"Well, actually, when a really powerful disillusionment charm is cast, the person becomes completely invisible, even to themselves."

"You can't see yourself?" she frowned.

"No, and I can't see you either."

"Hold on, I'm right here, Neville." Bella walked over and grabbed his hand, and a look of surprise immediately replaced his previously unsettled attitude.

"You have no idea how strange this is," he breathed. With his other hand, he reached forward until he caught hold of Bella's opposite wrist.

Bella's breath quickened as he blindly felt his way up to her shoulder, then along the curve of her neck, and tracing his way across her jaw line. A few of his fingers caught the edge of her bottom lip, and she exhaled shakily against them.

"Amazing," he said in barely a whisper. Then with a chuckle he added, "Godric, I hope I never go blind."

Bella peered down at their entwined hands and suddenly noticed that the glow around herself differed slightly from Neville's. It almost seemed as though her skin was covered in some kind of icy, blue film...

"So, are you ready for the countercharm?"

She'd have to look into that anomaly later. "Yeah...I bet this must be driving you nuts."

"Well, _I'm _ready to see the both of you!" Hagrid called out anxiously. "Startin' to feel like I'm talking with spirits or summat."

Neville shook his head in amusement. "The countercharm is _ostendo_. Do you want to try casting it onto both of us again?"

"I didn't _mean _to do it the first time," she muttered, "but I guess I can try." She squeezed her eyes shut and felt the buzz of Neville's hand in hers. It flowed into her veins, and she concentrated on its magnetism, undulating beneath the unsteady beat of her heart.

"_Ostendo._" Her wand tapped her head, and she opened her eyes, squirming as the odd dripping sensation slithered down her body.

"Bella, you did it." Neville clapped his hands around her arms, and she immediately blushed. "You cast a spell!"

"I did!" she squeaked excitedly.

"Well done, Miss Swan. No squib or hag's ever pulled off a spell like that." Hagrid nodded to her brightly. "Mark my words, the Ministry of Magic's going ter take a keen interest in you once they find out you made yourself and Longbottom disappear completely in one go."

Neville's arms dropped, and his face looked like he's just been doused with a bucket of cold water. "You don't think…this wouldn't put Bella in danger?"

Hagrid's smile faded. "Well, of course tha' won't happen. Harry and Hermione would never allow it." But he didn't look convinced.

"Did I do something wrong?" Bella hesitated.

"No, you didn't." Neville's face hardened. "But there are some folks—" He looked around the courtyard nervously. "—We'd better take this practice session somewhere more private."

"Right, of course," Hagrid nodded in understanding. "I've got to check on the thestrals. A pleasure to see you Miss Swan, and you Neville. I'll be off now."

"Why isn't it safe out here?" Bella frowned.

Pulling her behind a pillar, Neville spoke in a quiet, cautious tone. "Ever since _You-Know-Who's_ regime, people have been completely paranoid about powerful wizards, and uprisings, and all sorts of unfounded nonsense. No one knows your story. No one knows more than a few lines about your life before you showed up out of nowhere." His voice fell into an urgent whisper. "You have magic that's unique, like no one's ever seen before, and I...I don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

Bella's emotions were all over the place, but she swallowed thickly and took a deep breath. "I guess we should practice somewhere safer then."

Relief broke out on Neville's face. "Alright. There's a few classrooms that haven't been used in years. I'm sure McGonagall won't mind if we borrow one."

He strode ahead toward the doors of the courtyard, and she followed – deep in thought.

It was just her lot in life, she supposed. No matter where she went or what life she chose, Bella would always be danger.

* * *

_**I did a lot of questionable research via Wikipedia and did find a plausible explanation for Bella's weirdness. I just hope you all enjoy the story long enough to find out what it is! Thank you for your feedback. You guys really make this story worth writing. -V**_


	11. The Face of Fear

**Chapter 11: The Face of Fear **

**July 28, 2007**

Over the next two days Bella had achieved moderate success with spells that involved illusions and mental barriers. It was amazing that she'd come such a long way from the _clumsy human_ Laurent had once called the Cullens' _pet_.

She wondered what she would do if she ran into the Cullens now. Of course she'd be surprised, but would she want to return to that life? Edward always insisting she protect her soul and remain pathetic and vulnerable until her dying day – Alice poking and prodding at every trivial detail of her life (especially when it came to her wardrobe) – Rosalie's complete and unaffected loathing that permeated every room like a perceptible fog?

She'd eventually recovered from their abrupt flight, though she never would have without Jacob's help. She'd felt comfortable with Jake – almost to the point of loving him, but the wolf never quite touched her heart the same way Edward had. He was like a drug...like a brand of heroin...

Bella suddenly laughed out loud at the irony. Had she really just compared her attachment to the vampire the same way Edward had described the scent of her own blood? Clearly she was better off without the addiction that was Edward Cullen.

"Ready to give shield charms a go?" Neville walked through the door, joining her in an unused classroom and levitating a rattling, oddly shaped chest to the far side of the room.

"Yeah, I read up a little on it last night. Um...what's in the chest?"

"It's a boggart." The creature rattled within the chest once more, as if to emphasize its presence. "They're creatures that take the shape of your greatest fear, but since _you're_ mind is pretty much impenetrable, I'm curious to see what'll happen."

"Huh..." Bella bit her lip. "Are we going to try shield charms on it?"

"Now _that's _an idea," Neville raised an eyebrow, considering the possibility. "I think for now we're just going to see if it affects you at all. Now if the boggart does happen to see into your mind, you can confuse it by imagining it turning into something funny, pointing your wand straight ahead, and saying, _Ridikulus_."

"Ridikulus," Bella echoed with a nod. She wasn't convinced she'd be able to think of anything funny on the spot like that, but she knew Neville wouldn't let things get too out of hand.

She and Neville stepped back several paces from the chest, but Neville stood to the side, giving Bella the favored path of the boggart.

"_Alohomora._"

The chest burst open, and a murky mist flew toward Bella.

"Don't be scared," Neville reassured her from behind. "It's just trying to get a read on you, but I don't think it can."

The mist began to vibrate and hiss, and Bella stepped back until she bumped into Neville. "What happens if it can't materialize?" she swallowed nervously. It was drawing closer, and Bella's eyes widened with trepidation.

Neville exhaled heavily, and he placed a hand firmly on her shoulder. "We don't have to find that out today..."

Shoving Bella to the side, he stepped in front of the quaking vapor, wand at the ready, and the change was instantaneous. The mist began to condense and congeal, distinct hues of black and sickly peach, until finally the clear shape of a woman materialized.

"Poor, poor Neville," the boggart crooned maniacally.

Her hair was wild with ashy curls that gave the distinct impression of having been struck by lightning, and dark, wide eyes, gleaming with the unsettling shimmer of irrational excitement.

"Neville," Bella hesitated, "who is that?"

He clenched his jaw, staring coldly at the crazed apparition. "Bellatrix Lestrange."

She felt her insides turn to ice as the echo of the woman who had tortured Neville and his parents faced them.

"You think I'm gone, Longbottom?" her crazed laugh filtered through the room. "I'll never be gone. Others will take my place...finish what I started."

The boggart swung around to face Bella sharply. "I feel your fear. So much, So much!" she shrieked in delirious fervor. "But I can't see it. No, no, no. Bella will just have to guess..."

At first Bella was confused, thinking the boggart was referring to herself, but then to her dismay she realized 'Bella' was also short for Bellatrix.

The low rumbling cackle filled the air again.

Neville stepped closer to Bella's side. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen."

The boggart clapped her hands together in giddy hysterics. "Oh, this is too fun! What if I..." Bellatrix slipped a wand from her robes and grinned evilly. "Ah? How about I give sweet, wittle Neville a little reminder _for old times' sake_..._Crucio!"_

_"PROTEGO!" _Bella stepped in front of Neville, who had been watching the exchange carefully. The boggart's spell wasn't real of course, deflecting off of Bella's shield easily, but as the creature tried to break through the translucent barrier the shield grew until it became a solid, glassy wall between the boggart's half of the room and theirs.

"I don't believe it," Neville breathed. "I've never seen anything like this." He walked up to the barrier and tapped it audibly several times. "How long do you think you could hold it?"

"I don't know." Bella's wand arm was starting to shake. "I just...I didn't want anything to happen to you."

He turned, his eyes bearing down on hers. "Bella." He stepped beside her and reached out to her trembling hand, steadying it with his own strong grasp.

As soon as he touched her hand she felt the familiar tingle beneath her skin, like an electric pulse of energy was passing between them. With a gasp she lifted her hands, and the barrier dissipated like a cloud of steam.

"Oh shoot, sorry!" Bella lifted her wand to cast another shield, but Neville was faster this time.

With a sharp flourish of his own wand Neville banished the boggart back to the chest and locked it.

"That was amazing, Bella. You don't have to apologize."

"But it didn't look like a usual shield charm."

"No, it did...at first, but that thing where it kept growing and turned into a solid wall, I've never seen anything like it. It's like it was magnified somehow."

"It's better than nothing, I guess." She looked at the ground. None of her spells worked the way they were supposed to. Even as a witch she was the wrong kind...magic on AM when everyone else's was on FM.

Neville peered over at her curiously. "You're really hard on yourself, you know. You shouldn't be."

She bit her bottom lip and stared at the ground. "I don't fit in anywhere. I was just hoping...that if I tried hard enough, this would be where I really belonged."

Neville lifted her chin until she could see nothing but the serious gaze of his eyes. "The wizarding world is full of all sorts of creatures and people, Bella. There's wizards and witches, goblins, werewolves, merpeople, and about of hundred other creatures I'm forgetting off the top of my head." He took her hand, brushing his thumb gently across the top. "I think you could belong here, _if that was what you wanted_."

Bella could feel her heart beating erratically. "I do want that." She really did, but it wasn't that simple.

Neville was quiet for a few seconds. "I know your parents are muggles, and I know you had a life before any of this happened. Just take your time. Even fathoming a life like this...I'm sure it's a lot to take in."

He let go of her hand, but she could still feel the pulse of his touch like a phantom current. A few days ago Bella had only considered staying a month, maybe two, but Neville was suggesting she stay forever. And the longer she remained, the more tempting the prospect became.

* * *

**_There was a lot of back and forth in my mind whether Bellatrix would be a conceivable boggart for Neville. Now that he understands Snape he doesn't fear him; I don't even think he would fear Bellatrix herself. I think Neville would fear the idea of others "finishing what [she] started" and he feared other people (especially Bella) enduring that kind of pain. The boggart couldn't read Bella's mind, but I took a shot in the dark that it could rationalize that Bella felt the same way as Neville._**


	12. A Short Disturbance

**Chapter 12: A Short Disturbance**

**July 29th, 2007**

The following morning went smoothly by all accounts. Bella successfully mastered the Floo Network, making it from Hogs Head to the Leaky Cauldron with little more than a bruised elbow. She'd picked up the seeds for Neville and made it all the way back without tripping once.

Of course she should have realized the exceptional morning was too good to last. Bella was coming up to the entrance of the obscured London pub when a vaguely familiar chill of cool air wafted from behind.

"Bella?"

She froze instantly as the sweet, airy overtones filtered in her ears. Only one person had a voice like that.

"Alice?" She turned carefully, and sure enough, the black-haired pixie of a vampire stood before her.

"Bella, what are you doing here?"

It took several seconds for the initial shock to fade. Alice Cullen was really right in front of her, wandering the same streets of Muggle London. Taking the moment to gauge the situation, Bella placed a hand gingerly inside the pocket of her purse and grasped her wand just low enough that Alice couldn't see.

"I could ask you the same question," she tried to sound confident, but compared to Alice's buttery intonations it came off as something closer to a raspy whisper.

"I had a vision of you in the Seattle Times. You were listed as a missing person. No one's heard from you in two weeks, Bella."

Had it already been two weeks? ...Had it _only_ been two weeks? Bella wondered where the time had gone. "Well, how did you find me? Is London just a regular stop for vampires?" The likelihood wasn't too farfetched, she realized, glancing up into the darkened overcast.

"There was no trace of you until a week ago, when you withdrew some money from an ATM. I told Charlie we were headed out this way and would help look for you."

Stupid ATM, _wait_...Bella realized Alice had spoken in plural, and an uneasy feeling edged into her thoughts.

"We?"

"Edward's on the other side of town. He was...glad to help, Bella. He's missed you."

Alice's words had the opposite effect on Bella than she'd surely intended. Bella wasn't ready to see him. He'd left her beyond repair, broken, and alone. There was no telling what she might do if he showed his face now.

Not wanting to chance fate, Bella poked the tip of her wand above her bag so that it was pointed directly at herself. Stepping back into the threshold of the Leaky Cauldron's Muggle Repelling Charm, she closed her eyes and focused on the only thing she could.

_Latesco._

"Bella?" Alice gasped as Bella shimmered into nothingness. "_Bella!_"

She took off through the doors of the pub and ran to the grate connected to the Floo. She wasn't ready to see the Cullens..._and she wasn't ready to leave the wizarding world._

* * *

_**Notice how Bella didn't have to tap the wand on her head like wizards always do with disillusionment charms? She's getting more powerful! Muahahaha. Ok, I'm done…Thanks for reading! -V**_


	13. The Many Meanings of Hand Holding

**Chapter 13: The Many Meanings of Hand Holding**

**July 30th, 2007**

Today was the big day. Butterflies fluttered in the empty spaces of Bella's stomach. It was Neville's birthday, and to say she felt nervous was an understatement.

Clutching the tiny parcels in her hand, she made her way down to the Greenhouses after breakfast, her heart rate increasing with each step.

She found him in last greenhouse on his knees, pulling on a particularly deep root. His robes were nowhere to be found, and his shirt and slacks were caked with dust and dirt, but the sight made Bella's nervous heartbeat slow to a deep, pulsing thrum. The sleeves of his button down shirt were rolled past his elbows, and she could see every muscle in his forearms contract as he tugged against the root.

"Everything alright, Bella?" He looked up at that moment, catching her obvious ogling, and she looked down to quickly hide the deep flush of her cheeks.

"Oh, y-yeah, I just wanted to give you these." She set the parcels on a bench and stumbled toward the door. She kept thinking about the muscles, and sweat, and heat of the greenhouse...a shivery exhale escaped her lips. She needed to get out of there as soon as possible. "So, you can just open it when you're not busy. Happy Birthday."

She flew from the door as fast as she could possibly manage and was almost past the first-year Greenhouses when she heard him call.

"Are you going to make me open these all alone?"

_Dang_. There was no leaving now. She turned and slowly walked toward him, where he held the two parcels, looking amused.

"How did you even know? Did McGonagall tell you?"

His perfect smile made it difficult to remember the answer, _or her own name_. "I, uh, noticed it in a book when you found me in the library a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to get you something..." She felt her entire face go red, and she looked down in embarrassment.

"That means a lot, Bella." He opened the first package and smirked. "_Isabelia_. I've never seen flowers like these."

"Yeah, They're from South America, and it's almost my name, so...you know."

Neville laughed warmly, "It's brilliant. I'll think of you every time I see them."

Bella felt her pulse thump unsteadily at his reply, and she had to make sure to breathe as he opened the second gift.

The crystal lion glittered beneath the papery wrappings, and shards of light cast themselves along the windows where they stood. Neville said nothing, simply turning the tiny creature around in his hands.

Unsure of the silence, Bella felt the urge to explain herself out of awkwardness. "I know you're a Gryffindor, and when I saw this I thought of you pulling Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat. If it's too cheesy, I can exchange—"

"It's not, Bella." He peered up with an intense blaze in his eyes, and whatever she'd been saying got lost in the fire. "You put a lot of thought into these gifts. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she breathed. Neville had an indecipherable expression on his face. He half-smiled, and before she could blink he brought his lips to her cheek.

He lingered there, and Bella became keenly aware how close he was to her lips. _All she had to do was tilt to the left..._

Clearing his throat, Neville pulled back swiftly, and Bella was left feeling dizzy from her apparently overactive imagination. "Yeah, so Happy Birthday. Have a great day; I'll just..." _crawl into a hole and die. _

If he was feeling any similar emotions, he didn't show it. _Maybe it was one of the few things to look forward to with age. _Twenty-seven certainly suited Neville.

"Would you like to come to lunch with me?"

_Huh?_ "What?" Did she hear that right?

To her immense surprise, Neville turned his own slight shade of red. "I was just...wondering if you'd want to come to lunch with me."

Well, that's not what Bella was expecting. "Y-yes, I'd love to."

His smile seemed to match the bright fragments around them. "Great. It's a date."

She couldn't help but match his grin. There was no way this date could be worse than the last one.

* * *

They'd been strolling down Diagon Alley nearly five minutes, but Bella couldn't stop thinking about her hands. She wanted to feel the warmth of Neville's hand around her fingertips, but she didn't know all the ins and outs of wizarding courtship. What if holding hands meant something different in the wizarding world? What if Neville didn't want to hold her hand regardless? The flurry of thoughts were bouncing around in her brain with such ferocity that she sensed an impending migraine.

"The restaurant's just 'round the end past the Quidditch supply store."

Neville turned to Bella with a suave grin that made her blush. It was enough at least to postpone her headache. She was so concerned with not getting lost and the potential of hand-holding that she almost missed it...

"_Bella._"

The sound was faint amongst the bustling witches and wizards, but that voice – caressing her name like the sweetest note from the most delicate melody – was one she was unlikely to forget.

"_Bella._"

She stopped abruptly beside Neville, daring to lift her eyes, and just ahead, without cause, rhyme, or reason, stood Edward Cullen.

His mouth fell into her favorite crooked grin, but the rest of him seemed off. His eyes, nearly black, betrayed a hint of desperation. The dark circles beneath them had become more pronounced, possibly due in part to the pallor of his skin. Once a mysterious pale, his skin now seemed almost completely white, like an ivory stone covered in layers of marbled snow and ice.

Neville had also spotted Edward, but he interpreted the unstable looking vampire's countenance much differently. His drew his wand before she could even blink, and he looked ready to strike. "What do you want with Bella?"

Without so much as turning his gaze to acknowledge the wizard he answered softly. "I want her to come home."

Feelings Bella had buried deeply away came clawing back to the surface. She remembered the anguish and torment she'd suffered in the months following his departure – the echo of the hole he'd left in her chest throbbing inside as she relived the fear of Victoria's unrelenting attacks.

She saw Jacob's face in her mind, along with the rest of the Quileute tribe, empty and despairing, robbed of the joy of their eventual victory by the deaths of their loved ones.

A new emotion kindled within her. Edward had left them unprotected. He abandoned her, taking everything he'd ever given her and leaving only haunting memories and the abyss of shattered soul. Anger festered in Bella's veins. Rage effervesced in her limbs. Edward had broken her...but he would never break her again.

"Do you know this vampire, Bella?" Neville motioned toward her former love, and it was enough to distract her for a moment from the unquenchable fire in her mind.

"I _did. _Once," she said coolly, "but I wouldn't worry about his kind; they're...easily distracted." She paraphrased the heart-breaking words he had once spoken to her, eyes reflecting every ounce of resentment and betrayal, never leaving Edward's blackened gaze. "Of course _my_ memory is no more than a sieve. We'll go on with our lives, and it will be...as if he never existed."

The vampire's expression crumbled. "Bella, please."

Neville turned to Bella with a hesitant expression. "Do you want me to stay?"

She wrenched her gaze from Edward's tortured visage to Neville's unwavering calm, and she knew there was no contest.

_More than Edward._

_More than Jacob._

_More than anyone._

"Yes. I want you to stay."

"Bella," Edward called out softly. "Charlie's worried about you."

This brought Bella's focus back to Edward like a slingshot. "How do know anything about Charlie? Have you been to Forks?"

"Alice has been checking up on him, since she saw you in her vision. She only stopped after running into that pack of dogs."

"_Don't call them that._" Her insides burned. The werewolves had helped her feel whole again, until...

"We had no idea what Victoria had planned, Bella. No idea that she would come back for you."

"Me?" she shrieked angrily. "Who cares about me! Seth and Embry are dead because of me. That _pack of dogs_ you hate so much saved my life over and over again, and they sacrificed themselves to take care of _your_ mess."

"I can't tell you how sorry I am, Bella, but please come home. Your father needs you."

"You...have _no right_," Bella was shaking, "to tell me what _anyone_ in my family needs."

"I'm sorry, Bella." He seemed to realize he'd have to try another angle. "I know I don't have the right to tell you what to do with your life. But Bella, these wizards are dangerous. They have magic that can torture or even kill someone instantly. They have potions and enchantments that can control you. You can't begin to imagine the danger you're in by staying with _these people_."

"Can't I?" Bella held her wand out, pointing it at Edward. She had no idea if she was even capable of offensive spells, but she was too angry to care.

"You're a witch?" Edward looked more broken than she'd ever seen him before.

"Bella," Neville murmured gently beside her. He took her other hand in his, and Edward's head suddenly snapped in his direction with narrowed eyes and a menacing expression.

_Oh no. _Bella realized with horror that Edward was probably reading Neville's thoughts. "Neville, he's a mind reader! Use Occlumency or something!"

"I...I'm not a very good Occlumens, Bella."

"Then get us out of here!" she panicked.

The last thing Bella saw was Edward's look of pained disbelief as they vanished with a pop.

When they made it to the forest beside Hogsmeade all of the emotions Bella had been holding back came crashing down, and she sank to the grass, giving in to the chaos of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," she inhaled dizzily, "I'm so sorry for ruining your birthday."

"Stop being irrational." He pulled her up from the grass and into his arms. "So you have a history with a vampire...that's...surprising, I'll admit, but it doesn't have to ruin the rest of the day. It's going to be alright."

Bella leaned into Neville, matching his steady breaths until she was sure she wouldn't faint or collapse, or something else ridiculously melodramatic. "I dated him when I was seventeen. But he ended things after I got a stupid paper cut, and his brother tried to...well, you can probably guess. After that happened he said he didn't want me anymore, and I never saw him again," she sniffed, trying to hold back unnecessary tears. "It's been almost two years."

Neville drew back, deep in thought. "Seeing how he looked now, I think he regret what he said back then." He took Bella's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know it's hard to see faces from your past, but I am here if you need me."

"Thanks," she whispered, grasping Neville's hand tightly. Then she added with a slight grin, "I _do _still need lunch."

He laughed and led her into the village, still holding her hand in plain sight of every onlooking witch or wizard. "Then, Isabella Swan, lunch is what you will get."

Somehow she knew, no matter what she needed, Neville would be there to help.


	14. The Most Magical Thing

**Chapter 14: The Most Magical Thing **

**(Still Neville's Birthday!)**

"So do you think it's really haunted?" Bella peered at an old house along the outskirts of Hogsmeade known as the Shrieking Shack.

"Nah," Neville shook his head. "Harry swears it's not. Never really found out _how _he knows that exactly, but his word is good enough for me."

Bella agreed, partly due to the fact that Harry really did come off as a trustworthy guy but also because Bella had no desire to go near the shack...just in case. Neville brushed his thumb over her fingers, which were currently entwined with his, and she felt a rush of heat flood her face. They'd had a long, pleasant lunch at the Three Broomsticks, but neither of them voiced any hint of wanting to return to Hogwarts quite yet. She just wanted to stay with him a little longer...

"Are you all right? You've been a bit distant." He interrupted her thoughts with the depth of his gaze.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Though perhaps she felt a little flustered...and upset that Edward had to show up and ruin Neville's birthday. "I guess seeing _you-know-who_ just threw me off a little bit."

To Bella's complete astonishment he abruptly burst out with a mixture of laughter and coughing. She must have missed some great joke. How was anything about today's events funny?

"Bella," Neville cleared his throat seriously after several seconds. "Did you know, nearly the entire wizarding world referred to _Voldemort_ as You-Know-Who?"

Her eyes widened. "No! Oh my gosh..." Of course he would have found it funny. To his ears it must have sounded like she was calling Edward Cullen a notorious dark wizard! But the more she imagined it the more humorous the idea became.

Brooding, teenaged, vigilante, Emo-Edward...an all powerful Dark Lord…

She snorted at the hilarity. It probably shouldn't have been as funny as it seemed in that moment. Voldemort was a mass-murdering, completely evil being, and Edward was just an overly emotional, perpetually adolescent, immature immortal. The irony struck her. Voldemort had sought immortality his entire life, but fate saw fit to grant it to someone so starkly different...and arguably undeserving.

"I guess seeing _someone from my past_ threw me off," she finally corrected herself with a still-amused smirk.

Neville appraised her thoughtfully. "Well, let's get your mind off of him then."

"What did you have in mind?"

"A tickling charm."

"Tickling, are you kidding?" Bella's mouth fell open. Being with Neville in Hogsmeade she liked; holding hands while they walked along the trees she liked...Tickling she did _not_ like.

"Just hear me out," Neville approached her with a curious look in his eye.

"You shouldn't have to teach anything on your birthday, Neville." She countered.

"And you need to cheer up," he said pointedly.

It was true. She had been a bit mopey since they ran into Edward, but tickling could hardly solve that. "It doesn't matter. I don't feel like being tickled right n—"

"_Rictusempra!_" he cut her off with a mischievous grin. Unfortunately for him the spell did nothing, and Bella turned toward him with mock indignance.

"You jerk!" She swatted at him playfully. "What if that had worked?"

He continued laughing and managed to grab Bella's flailing hands until they were entwined tightly in his fingers. "I'm sorry, Bella," he chuckled softly.

She wriggled out of his grasp and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, birthday or no birthday, I am _going_ to get you back."

He grinned, throwing his arms out to the side. "Fair enough, I deserve it. Show me your best wandwork."

Without warning she leapt on him and began tickling his sides the muggle way. "If you're going to tickle someone, you should do it right!"

Neville nearly fell over from the ambush. "Is that so?" he wheezed between laughs. Then he caught Bella's wrists in one hand and began tickling her with equal fervor.

"AH!" Bella squealed, tumbling back with her handsome assailant into a thick tree trunk. "Stop it, please!"

He exhaled one last deep chuckle and leaned into her gently. "Alright, I'll stop."

Her breath fluttered as she realized the position they were in. Neville rested his head against her temple, turned slightly so that the warm air from his mouth tickled its way from the top of her ear to the base of her neck.

She tilted her head until his lips skimmed her cheekbone. The air around them felt heavy, and she could feel Neville's chest rising against her shoulder.

What had they been doing that led to this? _Oh yeah...tickling. Bella loved tickling...was there ever a time when she hadn't?_ Her thoughts were growing hazy, and all she could feel was the wave of heat from Neville's body, caressing and rolling over her skin. She continued to turn until she tasted his breath on her tongue, and a shaky exhale left her lips. A deep, rumbling growl issued from within Neville's throat, and finally he closed the painstaking distance with a kiss that made Bella's chest thrum with dizzying excitement.

Neville released her hands so he could pull her closer, and she took the opportunity to lightly drag her nails up his back until they found the base of his neck. She'd never seen Neville like this – so vulnerable and open…Daring to take the initiative, she teased the tip of her tongue across his bottom lip. To her surprise he let out a guttural moan and pressed her fully against the tree, their bodies curving into the other's like ocean waves melting into the heat of a sandy shore.

The kiss grew in intensity, and she had to clutch his shoulders to keep steady. Kissing Neville Longbottom was the most magical thing Bella had felt since she'd discovered the wizarding world, and suddenly every complication, every doubt, vanished without a trace.

This was where Bella belonged, and this was where she would stay.


	15. Professor Longbottom is Hot

**Chapter 15: Professor Longbottom is Hot**

**August 2nd, 2007**

Bella sat in the soft grass, reading a thick tome she'd found in the library about supernatural beings and beasts. The current section on blood subsistence presently held her interest, and she came across a very familiar species:

_...Borealis Vampires, also known as Ice Vampires or Cold Ones, are known to originate somewhere within the Boreal region of Northern Russia. Of the nine recorded species of vampires, the Borealis boast the most consistent and organized ruling class of all vampires, including a distinct hierarchy according to each individual's skills and potential supernatural ability. Today's ruling class of the Borealis species are known as the Volturi and currently reside in Volterra, Italy. _

_Wizards are advised to take caution when encountering covens of this species, as traditional methods of holy water, stakes, and garlic are ineffective, due to the shell-like encasement of carbons that fuse to their skin upon their transformation. Stunning spells also have little effect, as Borealis Vampires – like their sister species, the Anuban – lose the ability to achieve a subconscious state following the transition from human to vampire._

_The Impedimenta Jinx, as well as other specified containment spells, are known to be effective when encountering a hostile Borealis. For more information on self defense against this and other related species, refer to the appendix on page..._

Bella folded the book over on her lap with a yawn and stretched out onto the warm grass. Neville was busier than ever, getting his lessons and the greenhouses ready for classes in less than a month, but it gave her time to take advantage of the vast wealth of resources in the Hogwarts library.

Why hadn't the Cullens told her about other species of vampires, or even about wizards or other creatures? Maybe they were bound, like Jacob had been with his tribe, to keep everything secret. Fortunately for her, wizards documented everything about every creature or being they discovered. They seemed to be right at the center of everything in the supernatural world, and Bella could hardly believe she was a part of it.

She spotted Neville walking past the courtyard toward the greenhouses, and she blushed thinking about their kiss in the woods. He'd still held her hand when they spent time together, but since then he'd made no move to initiate anything further. It was obvious he liked her, but what if there was some kind of custom or wizarding rule she wasn't aware of? Was she supposed to make the move? Was he just being proper?!

Resolving to just get it over with and ask him, Bella rose to her feet and made her way to the murky, green, glass houses. She found him in Greenhouse One, standing at the front of the room with papers in one hand and a potted plant in the other as he recited a few rehearsed lines.

Bella suddenly had a very sneaky idea, and with a touch of her wand she became invisible and tiptoed toward the pristine blackboard at the front of the class.

"_Herbology...a highly underrated subject...many renowned witches and wizards were highly skilled...floo powder actually derives from the floo plant...invented by Ignatia Wildsmith in the thirteenth century..."_

She bit down a smile as she listened to Neville's adorable practice speech. He was so engrossed in his lecture that he hadn't yet noticed the piece of chalk floating in the edge of his peripheral vision.

The moisture in the room had made the chalk more porous than usual, which was perfect for dulling the sound. She began to write in a slow, fluid motion, so quietly that she almost made it through her whole sentence before he noticed.

Turning toward the board, Neville placed the parchments and potted plant down and folded his arms with mock disapproval. "Very funny, Bella."

A muffled giggle escaped her lips as the words '_Professor Longbottom is Hot_' gleamed against the black surface of the chalkboard.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she grinned.

"Right," he rolled his eyes. "Now where are you, so I can thank you properly for your sophisticated critique of my physical features?"

Bella materialized easily in front of the young professor, and his smirk widened into a genuine smile.

"Can't have the students seeing that, you know. They might get ideas," he joked, clearing the board with a flick of his wand. "It'd be a bloody great trick for the first years though. You could drop in and give them a fright any time the class gets too dull."

"Do you really think I'll be here that long?" Her expression sobered slightly. "I mean, is there even a place for me at Hogwarts? I can't really teach anything, and I'm too old to be a student."

Neville paused, keenly aware of the more serious direction the conversation had taken. "I suppose that depends on whether or not you plan on staying. McGonagall says you're welcome to stay on as an assistant to one of the professors, but I know your muggle university starts up again in a few weeks—"

"—I want to stay here," Bella blurted out suddenly. "I mean, if I can." She stared into Neville's unreadable expression, trying to convey with her eyes what she couldn't seem to explain with words. She wanted to stay in this magical world, and she wanted Neville by her side.

"You want to stay?" he murmured with a hint of shock.

"I do," she breathed.

A slow, steady smile spread across his features. "You're staying?" he asked, this time with more enthusiasm.

"I'm staying!" Her eyes were wide with excitement as the question shifted to declaration.

Without a second's warning Neville closed the diminishing distance between them with a deep kiss. There was no hesitation this time as he claimed her mouth fully and felt his way with his hands from the back of her shoulders down to the soft curve of her waist. Bella pulled back after a full minute, gasping for air as she tried to reign in the heady sensation she now felt all over her body.

He pressed his forehead to hers with a gentle smirk and longing gaze. "You're staying."

_And there was nothing that could change her mind._

* * *

_**Oh...Greenhouse fluff. And foreboding! There's still a few more twists and turns to be had. This was really just a silly little fluffy extension of the last chapter, but whatever. What's done is done! **__**Thanks for taking the time to read and for all the helpful feedback. -V  
**_


	16. The Last Letter

**Chapter 16: The Last Letter**

**August 11th, 2007**

Neville, Hermione, Harry, and Ron all accompanied Bella the following weekend to help retrieve her belongings and withdraw from the muggle university. It would have taken less than an hour, but Ron somehow accidentally wandered into a women's loo, and Hermione had to modify a few memories.

"Nice one, Ron," Harry joked as they rolled the suitcases toward an empty supply closet.

Ron turned even redder than Bella would have. "Sod off, Harry."

Hermione placed a reassuring hand on her husband's shoulder. "Relax, Ron. It could have happened to anyone. You're a pureblood and didn't know about public lavatories. I blame myself, really." Bella couldn't place it, but the witch almost seemed to be glowing as she smiled at him.

"Well, Neville didn't go off into a women's toilet," Ron grumbled.

Harry glanced at Neville, who was currently shrinking Bella's luggage to the size of doll furnishings. Bella looked over as well, and he peered up in the same moment, gazing at her with that unfathomable depth that made her shiver.

"He's got other things on his mind, mate." Harry grinned.

Hermione beamed at the pair. "So are we all set?"

"Uh, I've actually got to stop by the post office and get my mail forwarded, or cancelled, or something."

"That's no problem," the witch continued to smile. "I'll go with you, Bella, and you boys—" she swung around to face Harry, Ron, and Neville, "—stay out of trouble until we can meet for lunch."

Ron brightened considerably at the mention of food, and the five of them scrambled out of the supply closet.

Hermione hailed a taxi as they reached the edge of the campus, and the two began the short drive to the post office.

"So you and Neville seem to be getting on well," the witch remarked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, we are. He's—" ..._strong, talented, intelligent, encouraging, kind, powerful, handsome._ "—great. I don't know what I did to deserve him."

"I'm sure _he_ knows," Hermione reassured her. "Neville's been through so much. We all have, and I'm so glad you found him, Bella. I'm so glad you found our world." An uncharacteristic tear slid down Hermione's cheek, and Bella couldn't help but puzzle over her strange behavior.

"You've been smiling all day, you look like you're glowing, and now you're crying…" She suddenly connected the dots and gasped, "You're pregnant, aren't you!"

Hermione's hand flew over her mouth. "I just barely found out. I haven't even told Ron yet! Do promise you won't tell anyone, Bella. Please?"

"Of course," She promised without blinking. Keeping life-altering secrets was old hat to Bella. She wouldn't have any trouble keeping this one.

They arrived at the post office, and Bella had a surprising amount of mail waiting for her. She set her mail to be forwarded back to her old address in Forks and proceeded to open each letter.

"Who's Jacob Black?" Hermione paused as she helped sort the envelopes into piles. "He's written quite a lot."

"We used to date…" Bella frowned. Why would Jake be writing?

"Well, he's written three times, all postmarked within the last two weeks. You'd better read these now – the most recent letter is marked as urgent!"

"Urgent?" Bella snatched the letters quickly and opened the first:

_Hey Bella, _

_I know we haven't talked in a while, but no one's heard from you, and we're getting worried…_

It was a generic 'I hope you're okay' letter. She set it down and immediately tore open the second:

_Bella,_

_The little black-haired Cullen is here looking for you. You know I hate vampires, but she said she had some kind of freaky vision of you disappearing in the future. I'm worried about you, and your dad's going pretty nuts too. Please let us know you're okay._

_Jacob_

She felt a sense of foreboding as she picked up the last letter. Jake would never bother with extra postage if he didn't have to. Slipping the paper from the envelope she finally began to read:

_Your leech friends said they saw you. Where are you Bella? Charlie's talking about going to London and hiring a bunch of private investigators and cops to get you. If you've got something you need to tell him, then come home and say it to his face. Don't just disappear, Bella. Don't leave without saying goodbye._

Bella held the letter with a trembling hand. She'd been so selfish, putting her own desires ahead of everything, including her own family. She could imagine Charlie, trying to keep it together on the surface but growing more panicked with each passing day.

Hermione gathered the rest of the mail and sat beside her. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She peered up at the witch sadly. "My dad's worried about me. I–I have to go home and let him know I'm okay."

"Oh." Hermione pressed her lips together with apprehension. "I understand. Family is something that can't ever be taken for granted." She looked conflicted and sad. "I'm certain the boys will understand as well. Let's go tell them and – make arrangements."

Bella knew _the boys_ meant Neville, and as she thought about going back to Forks, she felt a little piece of her heart break.


	17. The Rabbit's Out of the Hat

**Chapter 17: The Rabbit's Out of the Hat** (My wizardy version of 'the cat's out of the bag', lol)

**August 13th, 2007**

A long line stretched ahead of Bella at the London Heathrow International Airport, but she couldn't find the will to step forward.

"It will be fine, Bella." Hermione stood beside her with a sympathetic smile. "You'll be there and back again in no time."

Bella nodded half-heartedly. It was nice of Hermione to accompany her to the airport. Their growing camaraderie was surprising to Bella, who had assumed she and the witch would only ever breach the line of formal acquaintanceship, but the witch had really reached out to Bella as of late. Still, Hermione was no Neville.

_Neville_. Bella sighed internally. He'd had to stay at Hogwarts, but a part of Bella selfishly wished that he would have been a little less dedicated to his work and gone with her. On the other hand, how would it look to everyone in Forks if Bella came back with a man seven years her senior? Charlie was sure to have a lot on his plate when she arrived back in Forks. It was probably best not to add anything else to the mix just yet.

"Bella, I want you to have something I've been working on." Bella's eyes widened with surprise, but she became uncertain as the witch placed an old shoelace in the palm of her hand.

"Is this some kind of sentimental wizard-thing?" She tried not to sound too put off, but a shoelace, really?

Hermione broke through Bella's stupor with a bright laugh. "Godric, no, I'd never give you manky, old laces just for sentiment!" Then her face took on a more serious expression. "Just, hold onto this, Bella. I've done some research about your hometown, and I know there's much more than meets the eye." Bella was stunned. How much did she know? "If you're in danger – if you need help for any reason – throw this on the ground as hard as you can."

"What will it do?" she queried with uncertainty.

"Let's hope you never have to find out." Hermione evaded the question, but Bella took the shoelace anyway, taking great care as she tucked it securely into her pocket.

She hugged the witch goodbye and finally proceeded through the security line, wondering how her father would react to everything she had to say.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking, Bells?"

It was the the sixth time Charlie had shouted the phrase as he paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth across the living room floor of his home in Forks.

"You said you needed to find yourself, and I let you go halfway across the world to do it, but I guess that wasn't good enough for you, was it? I mean, _what the hell were you thinking_?"

Apparently he actually expected an answer this time, because he stopped pacing and stared right down at Bella.

"Are you finished?" she said quietly.

"Well, I—" Her calm response clearly threw him for a loop, and he trailed off with a grunt of assent.

"I'm allowed to tell you exactly where I've been, because you're my dad...but you have to swear to keep this to yourself. I'm not even planning on telling Mom."

Charlie paused and considered her words.

"Are you in trouble?"

"No."

"You're not pregnant are you?" he said with a grimace.

Bella snorted at his complete and utter aversion to the possibility, "No, Dad, I swear. This is probably the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."

An alarmed look came over his face. "You're not with that Cullen boy again, are you?"

"What?" she burst out. "Dad, trust me on this. I am never getting back together with that self-righteous, manipulative..._teenager _again."

He seemed pacified by her outburst and nodded. "Alright, Bells, I swear I won't tell anyone your secret."

Bella took a deep breath and drew her wand from a hidden pocket of her jeans.

"Oh, Lord, is that what I think it is?" Charlie groaned.

"What, what's wrong?" She hadn't even cast any spells yet!

"Is that stick supposed to be a...magic wand? Look, I know David Copperfield and Penn and Teller make it look cool, but a magician...really?"

Bella's mouth fell open, surprised that he hit so close to the mark.

"It's not exactly what you think—"

"Well I can see why you don't want Renee to know," Charlie started to chuckle, "but I have to tell you, Bells, this is going to be hard to keep from Billy."

"You can't tell him. This is important!" Bella felt flustered that her dad was taking it all wrong.

"Alright, alright." He sat down in his chair, trying to look serious. "If it's that important to you—"

"Thank you," she exhaled with relief.

"So what kind of stuff can you do? Can you make stuff disappear?" The grin he'd failed to fully suppress came creeping back to the edge of his lips.

"Yes, I can," she answered hesitantly, "but Dad, you have to promise not to freak out."

"Scout's honor!" He lifted his hand for good measure.

Clearly he wasn't going to take this seriously, but Bella hoped his tune would change for the better after he saw what she could do.

She'd barely incanted the spell in her mind when Bella felt the familiar chill wash over her skin, and a sunny shimmer settled over the mysterious blue.

Her dad instantly jumped to his feet. "What in the name..." He squinted in her direction. "Bella?"

"You can see me?" To say she was shocked was an understatement.

Charlie blinked several times. "Is this some kind of trick of the light? I can almost see you, but then I blink and you're gone. It's like looking at a foggy reflection through one of those dark restaurant windows.

"Huh," was all Bella could reply. "I guess _you're_ the one I get this from."

"Get what from, what are you talking about?"

Bella cast the countercharm and looked at Charlie nervously.

"I'm not a magician, Dad, but I do have magic."

* * *

For thirty minutes Bella stumbled through her haphazard explanation of finding Hogwarts and discovering that wizards and witches existed. She cast a small shield charm, and Charlie tapped at the glassy barrier with wonder. It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to believe.

"So you're a witch?"

"I think so...? My powers are kind of different than normal magic. Hermione's looking into it though."

"And she's the one at Hog-warts?" he guessed.

"Actually, she works at the Ministry of Magic."

"There's a Ministry!" Charlie let out a low whistle. "And to think there's an entire world of people out there, doing magic and wearing pointy hats."

She quirked her eyebrow. "They don't all wear pointed hats, Dad."

He shook his head thoughtfully. "Well, I can see why you were afraid to tell anyone about it, but hang it all, Bella, you can't just up and drop off the face of the earth like that. We're family."

"I won't disappear without telling you again. I promise. But...I can't stay here."

"Bella—"

"No, listen. It's not just because of magic." She choked up for a moment, thinking of Jacob's pack. "The _animal_ that killed Seth Clearwater and Embry Call...it was actually after me, and...if they hadn't been there, I would have died." Tears were starting to well up in the corners of her eyes. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't been there...they'd still be alive."

Pain she'd buried deep beneath the surface lanced through her body like a ripped open scab.

"Jacob said it's not my fault, but they all resented me. And Leah," a new wave of anguish crashed against her consciousness, "Leah said I should have died in their place." She looked up at Charlie with the sting of despairing memories. "And she's right. I should have." Fresh sobs wracked her body, and her father's embrace did little to stop the onslaught of tears. "I can't stay here. I can't...live here, knowing that Seth and Embry would still be alive if I hadn't made so many stupid choices."

They pulled apart, and her father was silent for a several seconds. "Don't put all the blame on yourself, Bells," he finally said. "I know you don't think so, but there are a lot of people down at the reservation who miss you."

Bella sniffed, wiping the tears away with her left hand. "You think?"

"I _know_. At least give it a shot. It would be good to see some of your friends. After all it's been months since you saw them last."

She considered his request carefully. She and Jake had only dated a few months before tragedy struck, but Bella cared deeply about the pack. They'd bonded and shared each other's pains and worries. It would be good to see them.

"I guess a visit couldn't hurt," she half-smiled, but at the same time she was overwhelmed with anxiety. What if Charlie was wrong?

Somehow she had a feeling she'd be finding out soon.

* * *

_**Remember in the Twilight books when Edward said he could only hear the tenor of Charlie's thoughts? That is why Charlie can almost see through Bella's disillusionment charm. It's not going to affect the storyline at all (probably...), but I felt there could really be something there. Thanks again for reading! –V**_


	18. Paved with Good Intentions

**Chapter 18: Paved with Good Intentions**

_"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." -12th century proverb_

**August 15th, 2007**

Bella sat in her room reading up on the variations of protective enchantments. There was no way she'd be able to do all of them, but some of the complex charms piqued her interest. There was one advanced shield charm in particular that she was excited to try.

"_Bells, you ready to go?_" Charlie shouted up the stairs.

"Coming!" She called, setting down her books and slipping on a pair of flats.

Her nerves seemed to percolate beneath the skin. She hadn't seen any of the tribe in so long. What if they hated her? Charlie was currently in a relationship with Sue Clearwater, Leah's mother, and Bella dreaded that family confrontation most of all.

They were about to jump in the cruiser when Bella's newly charged cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered warily.

"Bella!"

"Alice?" How did she even get this number?

"Are you about to go to La Push?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"Please don't go, Bella. I have a really bad feeling. You keep disappearing, and then I keep seeing...well, that's not important, but please stay at your house! We could go shopping and catch up. I used to be your best friend, Bella. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Bella formed her thoughts carefully. "It counted until you left me behind. You could have stayed, but you let me break instead."

"I'm so sorry, Bella. Please forgive me."

"I will," she paused to take a deep breath, "but not today. Goodbye, Alice."

"..._No, Bella, w—_"

Bella hung up the phone and swallowed thickly. Alice _had _been her best friend once, but that friendship had been damaged irreparably by her deliberate absence.

"Everything alright, Bells?" He raised an eyebrow as she pocketed the phone.

"I guess we'll find out."

"It'll be fine. Relax."

Bella sincerely hoped her father was right.

* * *

They pulled up to the aged, red house, and Bella slid out of the passenger side of the cruiser nervously.

"Bella?" A familiar voice called out from behind, and she was pleased to see Quil Ateara beaming as he strode across the street.

"Quil, hi!" Bella held out her hand, but the wolf gathered her into a feverish hug instead.

"Sheriff Swan," Quil nodded politely.

Charlie joined them and patted Bella's arm. "See, Bells, I told you everyone didn't hate you. I'll let you catch up with your friends and meet you at Billy's for lunch."

"Okay, see you." She waved as her dad approached the Clearwater residence then turned sheepishly back toward Quil. _So much for beating around the bush._

"Nobody hates you, Bella." Then his eyebrows knit together with a hint of apprehension. "But just the same, it's probably best if you steer clear of Leah."

She nodded silently. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. She wasn't sure she'd be able to keep it together the whole day, especially if it meant having to dodge Leah the entire time.

"Bella!" Jacob's voice rang out as he jogged over. He too enclosed her in a tight hug, and Bella could hardly breathe. Finally he let her go and grinned brightly, "I'm glad you're home."

She stepped back to catch her breath and couldn't help but notice how irrationally happy her former boyfriend seemed. _Sigh_. Bella would have to nip that in the bud immediately.

"I'm only back for a few days, but I couldn't leave without seeing my old friends."

"_Old friends_?" he laughed. "Geez, Bella, you've been gone for a few months, not decades. Things haven't changed _that_ much."

"You'd be surprised," she murmured to herself.

Jacob grabbed her hand and began pulling her down the road. "I know Emily's going to want to see you. She's missed you a lot."

"Jacob, I don't think this is a good idea..."

Even Quil looked nervous as they neared the wolf haven. They were almost to the front porch when Bella's worst fears were realized.

"NO." Leah Clearwater had just stepped outside and froze like a deer in headlights. "No...Not her. She can't be here."

"Leah," Sam's authoritative tone echoed from behind the open front door. "Bella is welcome here."

"How can you say that after what happened?" The dark haired girl was shaking.

"We would have made the same sacrifice for any other human," Sam defended.

"No." She shook her head angrily. "It's her fault they're dead."

"The blame rests with the Cullens for not taking care of it before they left..."

Bella couldn't handle it anymore. Everything Leah had said was true...she should have never come back.

She took off running toward the forest line, ignoring the blurring shouts behind her. After stumbling through the woods for five minutes she became aware that someone had followed, but when she turned to face them she was shocked to see that it was Leah of all people.

"Running away again, Bella?" Leah glared at her furiously.

"Running from you," she said pointedly. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Don't you remember what happened that last time you ran into these woods?" Despair and rage creased in the corners of the she-wolf's eyes. "If you die out here, after everything my brother did to save you, then he died for nothing. Your decisions aren't just about you anymore, Swan. Seth and Embry gave everything so you could live. You owe it to them to be a little less stupid."

"I–I'm sorry." Her words stung Bella to the core. "I never meant for them to die."

"Well, it's too late, Bella. They're gone, and here you are again, just begging for trouble. For all you know, there could still be—"

Suddenly Leah froze, her countenance instantly shifting from anger to fear as she looked around in a state of hypervigilance.

"—vampires."

She shot back into the trees, and Bella brought her hand to her pocket, gripping the edge of her wand.

Silence filled the air. The chirping of birds vanished, and even the wind seemed to still as she waited.

"I guess some things are just too good to last." A honeyed voiced echoed from behind the clearing. "I honestly thought I might never have to see you again, Bella."

_Rosalie. _Bella would gladly take arguing with Leah over this... "If you didn't want to see me, then why are you here?"

The stunning blond stepped into view and leaned gracefully against a tree. "You just _had_ to fall off the face of the earth, so Edward would come crawling back to find you!"

"What?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You seriously think that's why I left...to _lure _him in?"

"It's bad enough that he's been pining over you this whole time, but at least he kept it to himself—"

_Pining this whole time?_ Everything clicked into place in Bella's mind as the vague realization that Edward's unforgivable departure may have actually been based on overprotective, good intentions. Neville was right...Edward still had feelings for Bella, and now he deeply regretted his decision to leave.

"—Now all I'm hearing is '_Bella this_' and '_Bella that'_ and '_I wish I had never left Bella_'. It's pathetic."

"I agree!" she shouted at the beautiful vampiress. "It_ is_ pathetic. Edward needs to get over me." Edward had chosen flight over fight when it mattered most, and all Bella could find it in her heart to feel toward him now was loathing and resentment.

She thought Rosalie might rejoice in Bella's indifference, but the vampire only shot her a scathing glare.

"You don't know anything about vampires, do you, Bella? Edward _chose_ you."

"And then he _chose_ to leave. I was completely broken until Jacob and his friends helped me get back on my feet—"

"You mean the werewolves?" Rosalie spat in disgust. "That filthy pack of mutts?"

"They saved my life!" Bella shouted angrily. "And they are worth a thousand times more than you _or_ Edward."

Rosalie lost her temper and crouched, baring her teeth menacingly, but she hesitated as a lean, silver wolf joined Bella by her side.

"You're choosing wrong again, Bella," Rosalie shook her head and hissed and lunged toward them, but Leah crashed into the vampire's side, knocking her into a tree and leaving a large gash in the side of the vampire's shirt. Rosalie shrieked furiously at the torn fabric and lunged again.

This time Bella anticipated Rosalie's movement, aiming her wand at the ground in front of Leah.

_"PROTEGO DUO!"_

A jet of blue light hit the ground and formed a graceful arc around the silver wolf, pulsating like hot glass being shaped in a furnace, and Rosalie skidded to a halt before hitting the undulating barrier.

"I thought Edward was joking," Rosalie shook her head in disbelief, "but it's true. You're a freak."

Leah, still in her wolf form, stared at Bella with what could only be interpreted as complete astonishment; then she took off toward the reservation, leaving Bella alone with the unhinged vampire.

"You know, I used to feel sorry for you, Bella. Hardly any friends, average looks, and that graceless lack of balance that was always getting you into trouble. But look at you now," she stepped to the side, edging closer like a sashay in slow motion. "You must be so proud of your power. It might just be the only redeeming quality you have."

Bella had heard enough. Rosalie was just trying to get in her head, and it was working. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe.

_LATESCO, _she chanted frantically in her mind.

Rosalie's eyes widened – but only for a second. "You think you can hide from a vampire? I can still smell you, Bella. I can still _hear _your heart."

Okay, so that hadn't been the best idea. It had worked with Alice when there had been a street full of Londoners to mask the scent, but in a desolate forest? Bella was doomed.

"What do you even want from me, Rosalie – you hated it when I was with Edward."

"And I never thought I'd find something about you that I despise more, but classic Bella proves me wrong again," she laughed humorlessly. "I know about the wizard, Bella. I heard Alice trying to convince Edward to let you go, so you could be with that...freak." Her face twitched with annoyance. "Could you be more obvious? I can hear your pulse racing just thinking about him."

Bella was suddenly filled with fierce, protective desire. Neville wasn't some freak, he was..._everything_, and she'd be damned if that blonde vamp so much as laid a finger on him. She cast the counter charm to the disillusionment charm and seethed with rage, "If you touch him—"

"—I don't care about some wizard, Bella. I care about my family, and protecting them when something or _someone_ threatens their happiness."

It took exactly two seconds for Bella to process exactly what Rosalie was saying. Neville wasn't in trouble..._she was._

She cast a wordless shield charm as Rosalie lunged, and it solidified just as the vampire crashed into its glassy surface. The sickening sound of shatters filled the air, and Bella looked up in horror. Rosalie's shoulder now had a long, defined crack running down to her elbow, but it was healing quickly. The shield on the other hand was not repairing itself, and shards of blue crystal evaporated where a barrier had once been.

The hole was only a few inches wide, but Rosalie would be through with just a few more well placed hits. Bella's wand arm was shaking, _what was she going to do_? Suddenly a light voice entered her mind.

_If you're in danger – if you need help for any reason – throw this on the ground as hard as you can._

Of course! Bella fumbled into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out Hermione's mysterious parting gift.

She chucked the shoelace at the ground as hard as she could...and nothing happened.

Maybe she didn't throw it hard enough, or perhaps it just took a minute to work.

Several seconds ticked by, and Bella whimpered as her dominant arm trembled violently. She was going to have to run for it, and _she was going to lose_.

Another heavy crunch landed against her shield, and the hole widened to the size of a basketball..._or even a quaffle_, Bella mused in a moment of ill-timed, morbid humor.

Running through all the spells in her mind that she'd studied, Bella tried to think of a last ditch way to somehow save herself. There was one spell that might work, an illusory projection of pain, but how could she even think about using it? She'd be a monster...worse than the vampire she now faced. But what else could she do?

Rosalie crashed against the shield, and it began to crumble completely. She watched the beautiful immortal's face shift until it appeared grotesquely distorted, and Bella knew she had no choice.

"_Crucio!_"

The blonde fell back, writhing and screaming, and Bella's will crumbled. She saw Neville flash through her mind, and she dropped her arm with a gasp, cutting off the spell at once.

"I'm sorry," her voice trembled slightly. Surely there was another spell she could have used...any other spell.

The vampire weakly rose to her feet. "And Edward said _we_ were the ones with no souls," she whispered just loud enough for Bella to hear.

"I was just trying to stop you," she choked.

Rosalie stared at Bella with an eerie sense of finality. "I am...through with you."

Bella was about to cast another shield charm when a jet of red light struck her assailant full force.

"Damned right, you're through with her."

The air caught the Bella's throat as she turned to face her savior. Neville, holding a musty, oversized boot without laces, faced Rosalie looking fierce.

The stunning spell had little effect, and the blonde beauty jumped to her feet, growling menacingly.

_"Incarcerous!"_ Ropes exploded from the tip of Neville's wand, wrapping themselves around Rosalie's body, but she was no ordinary vampire, and the bonds were broken within seconds.

_"PROTEGO DUO!"_ Bella poured every last fiber of strength into casting the new shield, and fiery blue light enveloped Neville and herself in an undulating, molten cocoon which the vampire didn't even try to penetrate.

Bella made her way over to Neville, careful not to break the connection of her wand.

"You found me," she shuddered a relieved exhale as she fell into his arms.

"Are you alright?" He peered at her with worry and a hint of something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get out of here!"

Neville peered around the forest with a worried look. "The portkey's not active, and international apparition's too risky."

So _that's_ what the shoelace had been for. It was connected to Neville's portkey...Bella had no idea how Hermione had managed to pull that clever bit of magic off, but her friend wasn't the brightest witch of her age for nothing. It was too bad that she hadn't thought of a way for them to return. Bella tried to think...If only they could get back to the safety of the reservation.

"The vampires here made a pact not to breach the borders to LaPush. We're only a minute or two from the boundary line, if you could just—"

"I can't apparate somewhere I've never seen," he shook his head hopelessly.

"Then let me try."

Bella had never successfully apparated, but if she didn't find a way, she and Neville might be slaughtered by Rosalie in her psychotic quest for familial peace.

She pictured the inside of Jake's living room, she imagined the two of them appearing...

_Ugh, it wasn't working._

Her wand arm throbbed, but she held on for dear life, determined not to lose to Rosalie before she could try again. Bella felt her pulse overlapping with Neville's, who held her tightly. She felt the current flowing deeply between the two of them. She pictured Jacob Black's living room. She felt the wooden floorboards beneath her feet. She felt the light breeze coming in from the window. She felt a hooking sensation behind her navel...

With a loud crack Bella and Neville materialized inside the familiar red house, where they toppled into a gathering of surprised and utterly confused werewolves.

* * *

_**Dun, Dun, DUNNNNN! Sorry if you really love Rosalie. She was the best candidate for Attempted Bella-cide, since she was the one in New Moon who callously told Edward that Bella had "died". She's a pretty shallow person when it comes to understanding others (aside from Emmett probably [hopefully]), so she might've thought (after the aforementioned sequence of events in this fic) that getting rid of Bella would actually help Edward move on. **_

_**Also, I was never going to have Bella apparate, but someone in the reviews gave me a great idea, and I've decided to use it! There's another plot twist coming up. It's hard to get everything 'just right' though, so bear with me. Thanks so much for reading and offering feedback! I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far! -V**_


	19. A Tribe of Shapeshifters

**Chapter 19: A Tribe of Shapeshifters**

"Oof, what the..."

_"Whoa, what's going on?"_

"How did Bella get here?"

_"Why is there a strange, white guy sitting on me!"_

Quil chose that exact moment to enter the room holding a sandwich, and his eyes widened with an expression that clearly said, "_What did I just walk in on?_". So the wolf took his sandwich and promptly turned around, exiting the way he came.

Bella and Neville extricated themselves from the pack, but Leah and Sam Uley could be heard carrying on a heated argument of their own from the front porch.

_"You hate Bella. Why would you want to go after her now?"_

_"She defended us...she saved me. We can't leave her alone out there."_

_"The Cullens won't harm her—"_

_"You didn't see what happened! That blonde leech was acting crazy!"_

_"Then show me what happened,"_ Sam growled, and Bella could hear the pair stalking toward the woods.

Apparently Jacob had been standing outside as well, because he came in a moment later and immediately beheld the chaotic scene.

"Bella?" He eyed her with confusion. "How did you get in my house; who's that?"

"Um..." A cluster of complicated thoughts shot through Bella's brain. How was she going to explain everything? "...It might make more sense if you saw what happened to Leah. Then I could tell you what happened to me when I went missing."

He looked back and forth between Neville and herself for several seconds; then his eyes narrowed.

"Everyone follow Sam and Leah. Tell them Bella's okay, and I'll meet you when we're done here."

The pack departed immediately until only Jacob, Neville, and Bella remained.

"Now tell me who this guy is and how you both got in my house."

Neville peered at Bella, a thousand questions in his penetrating eyes, but he said nothing.

"I found out...that I have a...gift...of sorts."

Jacob folded his muscular arms. "What, like magic?" he scoffed.

"Yes."

"Wha—" he seemed to choke for a second. "You're joking, right?" Then he looked back and forth rapidly between Neville and herself. "And him too?"

She didn't want to implicate Neville, so she turned to him with uncertainty.

"My name is Neville Longbottom," he stepped in to Bella's immense relief. "A friend and I found Bella unconscious outside the forest near our school. There are _enchantments_ designed to keep folks without magic from entering, but Bella—"

"—waltzed right in like she owned the place," Jacob rolled his eyes. "Damn it, Bella, won't you ever learn?"

She blushed and peered at the floor as Neville continued the discussion.

"It was a surprise to all of us that she had magic, but now that we know, we're teaching her how to use and control it."

The werewolf shook his head. "So that's why you've been gone." Then he peered at Bella with a hint of hurt, while he motioned toward Neville. "And you two are together, I'm guessing? You don't need to deny it, Bella. I can feel the pheromones a mile away."

Realization dawned in Neville's face. "These are the tribal wolf-shapeshifters Hermione mentioned?"

Jacob instantly got defensive. "How do you know about us?"

Finally a question Bella was able to answer. "There's actually hundreds of supernatural species, Jake. And nine different species of vampires too—"

"Nine?" He seemed shocked and unnerved.

"I could see what the limitations of the Wizarding Statute of Secrecy are, but I bet you guys would be allowed to learn about everything else if you wanted."

"Oh, we would want to." he agreed without hesitation. "We deserve to know what we're up against." He stood there for another minute, taking in all this new information. "Sam needs to know about this. Stay here."

He ran from the house, and Neville and Bella were left alone for the moment.

"So...I guess that means you're staying for lunch," she chuckled nervously.

Without warning Neville took Bella in his arms and held her tightly.

"You have no idea how many thoughts ran through my head when that bloody boot started glowing. And when I saw that blonde vampire trying to kill you...Bella, it was all I could do not to use an unforgivable."

Bella tensed suddenly. She _did_ use an unforgivable curse. And not just any unforgivable, but the one that had destroyed Neville's family.

"Neville, you know I don't know that many spells." Their locked eyes, and she wasn't sure how she could possibly go on. "W–well, there was a point when Rosalie – _the vampire you saw _– broke through my shield. I didn't know what else to do, I was just trying to stay alive..." She couldn't finish. She couldn't bear to see his face when he realized what she was saying.

"So you used an unforgivable curse."

Bella nodded desolately.

He was silent for several seconds before replying. "And I suppose you used the one you've heard the most about."

Again she nodded, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Neville. I saw your face after I started, and then I stopped...I just didn't know what else to do—"

"I would have killed her, Bella." She immediately fell silent with shock, trying to process his words. "I wouldn't have even hesitated." Neville took Bella's chin, lifting it until she could see into his hardened gaze. "When it's the difference between living or dying, you have nothing to apologize for."

She felt her heart thrum beneath her chest, and they were about to kiss when a familiar voice rumbled outside the door, causing her draw back with a gasp.

_"—so that's when Sue said the punch line of the joke, and I laughed so dang hard I started choking on the fish, and she had to use the Heimlich — _well, hey Bells, you're here early. Game doesn't even start for a good half hour." Charlie came in, wheeling Billy Black into the living room. Then he stopped short, realizing they weren't alone. "Who's your friend?"

Jacob suddenly popped in the door behind them, looking out of breath but relieved. "This is Neville Longbottom...and he's welcome to stay as long as he wants."

* * *

_(If I had timed this better I would have had this finished before April Fool's Day and done something horrible like having one of the wolves imprint on Neville in a fake chapter. Bahahaha, oh well, it's probably better this way.)_

_**Intrigue! Why is Jacob so suddenly welcoming? So much plot to cover!  
**_

_**I feel like the bar has been raised with all of your reviews. So much so, that I just hope I can measure up to all of your expectations! You guys are the best, and although I'm a bum and hardly ever reply to people, every single review has helped motivate and inspire me with this fic. Thank you so much for your feedback and favorites! -V**_


	20. Elephant in the Room

**Chapter 20: Elephant in the Room**

"Let me get this straight," Neville stared hard at Jacob as they spoke long after the game had ended. "Your Alpha has _commanded_ that you come back to England with us?"

"That's what he said." Jacob shrugged with a bit too much enthusiasm, and for once Bella could tell just how young he really was.

Neville sat back against a chair in Jacob's room and peered out the window in deep thought.

"I'll have to get approval from the Ministry—"

Jacob looked up at him questioningly, and Bella was happy to be able to answer something herself. "British Ministry of Magic, Jake." His mouth fell open, and Bella had to stifle a laugh.

"—and you'll need a liaison to escort you safely to each location, but Hermione should be able to pull a few strings."

"Excellent." Jacob pumped his fist exuberantly.

Neville pulled out his wand and glanced at Bella for a long moment before taking a deep breath and chanting a spell she didn't recognize.

_"Expecto Patronum!"_

Both Jacob and Bella jumped back as a shimmering, ghostly lion burst forth from the tip of his wand and filled the remainder of the cramped space of the room.

"Send the following message to Hermione Weasley:

_Hermione, Bella's safe, and we're with the shapeshifters. I need an envoy from the Department of International Magical Cooperation as soon as you can. The tribe is requesting to send an emissary, and we're going to need a portkey. Also...can you send an owl to Minerva? Someone'll need to look after the Greenhouses for another day or two."_

The lion disappeared in a flash, and Bella's mouth fell ajar. "What was that thing?"

"A patronus. It'll get the message to Hermione within the hour."

Her mind was buzzing with questions, but a deafening howl broke the three from their reverie.

"It's Sam." Jacob sprang toward the door. "You two stick around here just in case."

He took off out the door, and Bella led Neville back into the living room, where Charlie was laughing with Billy Black, beer in hand, though his eyes narrowed when they fell on Neville and Bella's entwined hands.

"Alright, Bells, I've had just about enough mystery to last me a lifetime. You mind telling me who exactly this _Neville-fellow _is, and why you two have been attached at the hip since he got here?"

Billy set down his drink on the end table and stared at them with equal curiosity.

"Neville works at the school I told you about." She tried to avoid specifics, as Billy was still in the dark about everything. "He's a professor...of horticulture." It was kind of true...

Charlie seemed unconvinced. "Horticulture?"

Neville stepped forward with complete assuredness. "My classes focus on plants that you're probably unfamiliar with, Mister Swan. You'd be hard pressed to find them _anywhere else in the world_."

Her dad nodded, finally catching on. "Right, well, I guess we'll talk more about that later." His eyes shifted to Billy nervously, and he faked a cough.

"I'm curious how my son seems to have no qualms with you, Mister Longbottom," Billy cut in without warning, "seeing as you're clearly pursuing Bella, and Jacob hated the boy who was with her before him."

Bella froze. Billy was testing Neville, trying to provoke him into giving something away! Her relationship with Jacob had never actually come up. _How would he react? _She was spared dramatics, however, and Neville didn't even flinch as he replied.

"I think you'll find that I share your son's aversion to Edward Cullen. He confronted Bella when we were in London, but Bella made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him."

An almost prideful smile found its way to the edge of Billy's face. "And you're...familiar the family?"

Neville glanced shrewdly between Charlie and Billy. Instead of answering he turned to Bella. "Forgive me, but I need to speak with Bella for a moment." He pulled her onto the porch.

"I feel like I'm trying to step around a vat of flobberworms. How much do they know?"

She racked her brain. "Billy knows about the shapeshifters and the vampires but not magic. Charlie knows about magic, but not vampires or the wolves."

"This is getting ridiculous. I was hoping Hermione would get to handle this part. This sort of encounter is what she lives for." He exhaled heavily and led Bella back into the front room.

"I know you're trying to figure out what I am, Mister Black, but I'm not so inexperienced with the world as you might wager. Your tribe of shapeshifters is part of a supernatural world of that's more vast than you realize."

Billy opened his mouth to speak, but he ignored him, turning immediately to Bella's father.

"Mister Swan, as your daughter is now recognized as a member of the magical community, per the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, you are entitled to know about any supernatural being you come into contact with. In addition to the tribe of lupine shapeshifters that reside within this reservation, the family you know as the Cullens are actually a species of vampire."

"Vampires?" Charlie spat. "The Cullens are—Bella, did you know about this?"

"Yes," she looked at the ground and blushed bright red.

Then he swung around to face Billy. "And you never told me anything! All these years of feeling like I was in the dark, and now I know why..."

Billy glared at Neville. "The legends of our tribe are closely guarded secrets. We are forbidden to share them with others."

"I'm sorry, sir, but the wizarding world has a slightly different view on matters. All magical beings and their families have the right to understand the world they really live in."

Charlie sat silently for several seconds. Finally he muttered, "Family camping trips, my behind...should have known there was something else going on with them."

"They don't drink from humans," Bella defended lamely. She wasn't sure why she was even trying to stand up for them after everything that had happened. Still...

"They _are _dangerous though," Neville finished the thought budding in her mind. "The blonde female tried to attack Bella today."

Billy breathed in a sharp intake of breath. "This cannot go unanswered."

Charlie rubbed his head, with a tipsy and overwhelmed countenance. "I need another beer."

"Oh, no you don't." Bella snatched the can and set it back in the cooler. "Now that you know everything, things are going to get better. And too much alcohol is _not _going to make things better."

Jacob suddenly burst in through the front door looking livid.

"Bella, you need to come out here; Neville, you should probably come too."

To the wolf's dismay, Bella's dad stood up as well. "Well, you're not keeping me outta this for another second."

"Charlie, I don't think—"

"I've heard enough excuses to last me a lifetime, Jacob. I know about everything, and I'm coming."

Jacob's jaw fell open, and he looked to his dad for help.

"Sorry, son, this goes beyond the whole tribe. But if he's coming along, I am too."

"What?" he spluttered in disbelief. "This...isn't a matter of who knows what, it's a matter of safety. It's too risky for either of you."

"What's too risky?" Bella was almost afraid to ask.

The wolf growled as he recalled his reason for coming in the first place.

"The Cullens are at the border. They want to speak with you."

* * *

Jacob was able to keep Billy and Charlie at the house, but only after offering more beer and an unconditional promise tell them everything afterward. So Bella, Neville, and Jacob now approached the border where half of the pack was waiting in their wolf form.

Carlisle, Esme, Alice, and Jasper stood just beyond the boundaries of the road, each with expressions of such remorse that Bella couldn't feel properly enraged. Emmett stood slightly further back from the rest, eyes full of pain and conflict that clashed with his normally lighthearted demeanor.

The patriarch of their family stepped forward, and Bella could sense even more of his heartache as he began to speak. "I cannot even begin to express how sorry we are for Rosalie's actions. We understand that the attempt on Bella's life and the female of your pack is unforgivable."

"You're damn right it's unforgivable," Jacob retorted angrily, and many of the pack growled in agreement.

"I know it's difficult to fathom, but in my daughter's mind she truly believed that giving Bella an ultimatum to return to Edward was the right decision. We didn't see how she would react to Bella's answer until it was too late for us to prevent the attack."

"Daughter or not, she tried to violate the treaty. She can never come back here, or we _will_ seek vengeance."

Bella wasn't sure if Jacob was speaking for Sam or for himself, but his words rang with such authority that no one could doubt the truth of them.

"She has already left Washington, but we will respect your decision and ensure that Rosalie never sets foot near these lands or Forks ever again."

Emmett took a few steps closer, and some of the wolves growled, but he did his best to ignore them and kept his eyes on Bella.

"I never thought Rose would've...you're like a sister to us, Bella. I'm sorry we ever left."

"I know," was all she could say. She wasn't so sorry in hindsight as she thought she'd been before. The tingle of Neville's hand seemed to reverberate through her body, and there was nothing that could make her feel regret for the path that led her to him.

"It would probably be best if all of you left now," Jacob interrupted her thoughts as he addressed the Cullens. "I know you're sorry and everything, but I think I can speak for the whole pack when I say this. Leah and Bella almost got hurt because of you guys, and it's taking everything I have not to tear you apart right here, right now."

Every wolf snarled in assent, and Carlisle had to put an arm in front of Emmett to calm him.

"Of course we will respect your wishes. Again we apologize, and I hope that someday that we can meet again under less hostile circumstances."

Esme and Alice offered Bella one last despairing glance, then disappeared, and the men followed suit two seconds later.

"Hermione's going to go nuts over this. She had no idea about the tribe's history with vampires." Neville remarked as they made their way back through the trees to Jacob's house.

"When is she coming?"

"Could be any time, I suppose."

They walked for a few more minutes when a silvery light zoomed toward them.

"What is that?" Bella's hand flew to her wand pocket.

"Hermione's patronus!" Neville shook his head happily at the weasel, or otter, or prairie dog...or whatever it was.

_"Neville, I got your message. The new potions master was more than happy to look after the Greenhouses until you get back. As for the envoy you requested, the Ministry can't spare anyone on such short notice, but I've found someone who is willing offer their assistance. Keep the northernmost part of the tribe's border clear, and we will meet you to discuss the specifics at eight tomorrow morning, your time."_

Sam, Leah, and Jacob had gathered beside them by the time the patronus dissipated, though Bella wasn't sure how much they'd heard.

"We will make sure that part of the forest is clear for your friends. Jacob and Leah will have a lot questions they'll want to ask your friend before returning with you."

"Wait, what?" Jacob did a double take and stared at his alpha with dismay. "No way. Leah can't come."

"Excuse me?" Leah snapped back. "I have just as much right to go as you, _if not more._ Doesn't high school start up again any day now?"

For the first time since hearing that Bella dated Jacob, Neville's eyes widened with surprise, and Bella felt her cheeks flood with heat.

"That's three weeks from now; I've got loads of time. Besides, I'm more experienced when it comes to handling supernatural beings," Jacob argued smugly.

"Enough," Sam said with finality. "You go together, end of story. We need strength in numbers, and if all goes well, Jacob will be back in time for school." He turned to Neville and Bella, composing his features somewhat. "We will meet here at seven-thirty and escort you to the northern border of our lands."

They agreed and followed Jacob back to the house where Charlie and Billy had nodded off on opposite ends of the couch.

"High school?" Neville whispered with amusement as soon as Jacob was out of hearing range.

"Shut up, they age supernaturally after their transformation," she socked him in the shoulder.

He grabbed her still-clenched fist and trapped it in his own hand with a grin. "I suppose I'm one to talk. We've got, what, eight years between us?"

"Closer to seven," she argued as if that made such a huge difference. "I'll be twenty next month."

"Well, as long as you're legal," he joked, earning himself another swift punch in the arm.

Age differences were the least of Bella's worries at the moment. Trying to keep Jacob out of trouble would be tricky if she knew the wolf at all, but Leah? Keeping her in check would be a task in and unto itself.

She felt sorry for the witch or wizard who would have to deal with _that._


	21. Show and Tell

**Chapter 21: Show and Tell**

**August 16th, 2007**

Bella had hoped that Neville would stay the night at her house, but he'd opted to stay with the wolves, reminding Bella that this could be the last evening she had with her father for some time. He did however cast a few sensory charms around the home for security, and Bella had slept surprisingly well.

Saying goodbye to Charlie that morning had been difficult, but she took comfort in the fact that he and Sue Clearwater could console one another amidst their children's absences.

They were in the forest now, just waiting for Hermione and whomever she had scrounged up to help. Bella wondered if it was someone she had met before, or at least someone she'd heard of.

"Looking forward to going home?" Neville asked, and Bella didn't miss his subtle implication.

She clutched his hand tightly, and heat flooded her cheeks as she thought of a _home_ that included Neville. "Yeah. _Home_," she echoed softly, liking the way it sounded.

Any further conversation was put on hold by a sudden rush of wind in the trees.

"This'll be Hermione," Neville warned the pack, and they nodded with anticipation.

After a few more seconds two specks became visible in the sky, rushing swiftly toward them.

A male with light colored hair and a broad beard slammed into the soft mud, causing a few members of the pack to snicker. Immediately he bolted upright and proceeded to siphon wet earth from his face and robes.

Hermione landed delicately beside the man a few moments later without so much a single splash of water or mud.

"Completely undignified. I say, Granger, you could have held on a bit more securely."

Hermione stepped beside him and grimaced. "Forgive me, Cormac, but I wasn't going to touch you a second longer than necessary...and for the last time, it's Weasley, not Granger." She glanced up, and finding Bella's eyes her disdain instantly melted into relief, and she ran over to embrace them. "Oh, Bella, I'm so glad Neville got to you in time."

Neville leaned over with a perplexed expression. "Hermione, why is Cormac McLaggen here?"

She scrunched her nose with a dissatisfied scowl. "You know how connected he is to the Ministry. Kingsley recommended him and wouldn't take no for an answer. I'm beginning to think it was just his way of getting rid of him for a day."

"Ah, so these must be the shapeshifters...and what have we here?" Cormac winked at Leah, but she simply glared at the wizard.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Good heavens, McLaggen, you don't have to make a pass at every female you come across. We're supposed to be diplomats: courteous and...dignified."

"You always did know how to spoil the fun, Granger." He winked again, this time at Bella, and she shuddered audibly.

A growl of irritation rumbled in Neville's chest. "Try not to alienate the entire wizarding race in one go, McLaggen."

"Alright, alright. Just tell me what we're looking at."

The next hour was filled with formalities and introductions. Then Hermione wordlessly shrank all of Jacob and Leah's luggage to the astonishment of the pack.

Cormac on the other hand continued to hit on Leah relentlessly until the she-wolf lost her temper and punched him in the face.

"That was brilliant," Neville nudged Leah with a grin, and Bella spied the hint of a smirk forming on her lips.

Only Hermione looked unamused. "Are you certain you have everything you need? The portkey activates in one minute, and haven't time for anymore trivial delays. Cormac?" she peered at the wizard, once again covered in mud. "Are you done behaving like an arse?"

"You can bloody well guarantee this is the last time I ever do you a favor. I think my nose is broken."

"Trust me, Cormac, an encounter like this is just the medicine you need."

"What is medicine?" he sat up, rubbing his bloodied jaw with a groan.

"Oh, nevermind! Pretend her fist was a bludger if it makes you feel any better!"

She pulled a faded belt from her bag and held it in front of her. "Alright, Mister Black, Miss Clearwater, hold on to this like your life depends on it. The portkey activates in twenty seconds."

Leah smiled more widely than Bella had ever seen as the six of them grabbed onto the strip of leather. She and Jacob called out their nervous farewells to the rest of the pack. Then with a flash, they were pulled into the air and out of sight.

* * *

Jacob and Leah descended with surprising steadiness as they landed atop the Hill overlooking the Burrow. Bella wasn't quite so lucky, tripping into McLaggen's over eager grasp.

"Came to see the goods, Swan?" he winked, and she extricated herself quickly with a grimace. Then she stepped back until she bumped gently in Neville, who eyed the blonde wizard with perturbed annoyance.

"Look, I'm flattered, Mister McLaggen...but I'm with Neville."

Cormac eyed the pair with a mystified expression. "My mistake. Hermione failed to inform me of your...closeness." Nodding briefly to aforementioned witch, he apparated with a crack, leaving the rest of the group on their own.

"Thank Merlin," Hermione shook off the disgust. "He may be close to every high ranking Ministry official in London, but that man gives me the creeps."

It was already late in the afternoon by the time they arrived, so Mrs. Weasley had already begun preparations for dinner, but that didn't keep her from enveloping everyone in hugs when they entered the house.

"Bella, dear, I'm so glad Neville got to you in time. When Ron told us what happened I could scarcely believe a word. Oh, these must be your friends who saved you from the vampires! Why don't you all come into the kitchen and help with the last preparations for dinner, and then you can tell us everything."

Jacob and Leah admittedly didn't help much with the food preparation, as they were so distracted by levitating potatoes and knives cutting carrots of their own accord, but when the meal was served Jacob forgot his reservations and dug in.

Leah was less accepting, eyeing each arriving family member with scrutiny and uncertainty. Ron, Harry, and finally Arthur arrived after Jake had already begun third helpings, but Leah had hardly touched her food.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her with motherly concern. "I know this must all be quite shocking to you, dear. Perhaps, a less chaotic atmosphere would suit the both of you better."

"I think it's great!" Jacob garbled with a mouth full of food.

"Perhaps if they met other shapeshifters," Hermione offered.

"Or any witch or wizard who's an animagus," Ron said, also with a full mouth.

"Or a werewolf," Bella interjected hesitantly.

The table fell to an awkward silence. "Perhaps," Mrs. Weasley trailed off, somewhat troubled.

Seconds passed, and it was actually Leah who broke the silence. "I'd like to meet a werewolf."

"Well, you see, dear, the only werewolf we knew well passed away some time ago." The Weasley matriarch frowned sadly at the recollection.

"There now, dear. I'm sure our guests would like to hear how it happened," Arthur interrupted. "They came here to learn about the wizarding world after all."

So the rest of the evening was filled with stories of war, and heartbreak, and the deaths of friends and loved ones. Bella had never heard what happened first hand, and she cried freely during many of the stories. Neville kept a reassuring arm wrapped around her shoulder throughout most of the evening, and before she knew it, the clock was chiming midnight.

Mrs. Weasley hugged everyone goodbye. "You're all welcome to join us for dinner this Sunday. We'll be celebrating our son, Percy's birthday, and you'll be able to meet everyone in the family."

Bella peered at the wolves who nodded enthusiastically. The stories seemed to have softened Leah's perspective for the better, and Jake...well, he was probably looking forward to more of Mrs. Weasley's cooking.

"So where are we shacking up?" Jacob grinned as they stepped outside.

"You and Miss Clearwater will be staying with Ron and myself in London," Hermione beamed brightly. "You'll get to meet Harry's wife, Ginny, and our little Rose. Then I'm sure Bella and Neville will want to show you Hogwarts before the start of term as well."

They said their goodbyes, and Bella was suddenly felt like a fog had lifted as she and Neville apparated to Hogsmeade. No wolves, no family, no friends – just Neville.

"Well this has been an eventful two days." He twined her fingers in his hand as they made their way in the moonlight toward the castle.

"Thank you," Bella blushed after a moment.

"For what?"

"For being there when I needed you. I don't think I ever officially expressed my gratitude."

"Well," Neville chuckled softly. "You could always _show_ your gratitude when we get back to the castle."

"Oh my gosh!" She smacked him on the arm, but she couldn't seem to tame the wide grin on her lips. "Are you always like this?"

"No!" He exhaled with a sigh. "I'm never like this."

"Well, what's so different now?" Her heart thrummed as she wondered how he might reply.

"I think you know, Bella," he said simply as he squeezed her hand more firmly.

They caught sight of the glittering castle, and Bella could feel her pulse flutter.

"Suppose for argument's sake that I don't know," she teased.

"Then I suppose – _for the sake of argument_ – I'll just have to show you." Then before Bella could even blink, Neville tossed her over his shoulder and began to fireman carry her across the grass.

"Neville! Neville, put me down!" she swatted at him the entire way across the field until they reached the first Greenhouse.

"Alright, you win." He finally lowered Bella to the ground and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Turns out I'm not all that great at showing people how I feel."

"You're just over thinking things. Just...do what you want."

Neville exhaled shakily. "I think the things I want to do aren't appropriate for a first year Greenhouse."

"School doesn't start for two weeks, you know." She felt her breath misting down his neck and the subsequent tremor of breath that escaped through his mouth.

"Right..." he murmured in a whisper, drawing closer to Bella.

All the tension and chaos of past two days seemed to pour out of Bella as Neville's lips touched her own. She could still breathe in the heat of greenhouse, but somehow the taste of his tongue left her wanting for air, and the touch of his hands trailing up her back left her head spinning from dizziness.

He lifted her onto a desk, and Bella squeaked in excitement as he lifted her legs around his torso. He was starting to kiss his way down her neck when the shattering of a ceramic pot made them both jump.

It was a woman, probably in her mid-twenties with long blonde waves and light blue eyes.

"O-oh, Sweet Helga, I didn't mean to interrupt. I j-just heard a ruckus in the Greenhouse and wanted to make sure everything was alright. I am...so sorry, Neville. I'll just see you both in the morning." The blonde darted out of the Greenhouse as quickly as she had come, and Bella's eyes widened with confusion.

"Who was that?"

"An old friend," Neville looked equally perplexed. "She must be the new Potions Master."

"Oh. That's cool," Bella lied. She wasn't sure how to feel about the pretty blonde woman at all. "What's her name?"

"Hannah," he frowned slightly. "Hannah Abbott."

Something told Bella she'd be hearing a lot more about Hannah Abbott, and she didn't like it one bit.


	22. The Face of Politeness

**Chapter 22: The Face of Politeness**

**August 17, 2007**

The next morning Bella found herself seated in the Headmistress' office, trying not to stare at the many portraits of former heads of the school. Minerva had left to deal with an urgent owl from the Ministry, so Bella just sat, waiting.

It just so happened that when she dared to lift her eyes, the black haired man in one of the canvases whom she knew to be Severus Snape was boring his eyes in her direction.

"Afraid of a painting, Miss Swan?" he goaded.

"N-no. I'm just...giving you guys some privacy."

"Disguising your fear with a futile attempt at courtesy will get you about as far as a squib in this world."

"I'm not afraid." She took a deep breath, willing herself to keep eye contact.

"And yet your shoddy spell work would suggest otherwise."

"I can do _some_ spells. Just...the mentally-based ones."

He simply sneered at her reply. "Don't delude yourself, ridiculous girl. All magic originates in the mind. Every spell and incantation can be conjured from its depths if one is willing to find it."

"But I'm not a regular witch."

"You successfully apparated according to Mister Longbottom's report. Either you truly are unintelligent, or something in your mind is shielding your most fundamental abilities. The mind is capable of far more than you realize, Miss Swan."

The office door opened, and Professor McGonagall swept in, rather flustered.

"I trust all was well in my absence?" She glanced not at Bella, but at the portraits.

"Severus and Isabella engaged in rather an illuminating discussion if I do say so myself," said a particularly bright-eyed, white bearded wizard in the portrait next to Snape's.

"Hardly," Severus drawled. "It may well be that Miss Swan has exhausted her magical ability and is simply a stupid girl bumbling around Hogwarts on little more than dumb luck."

"That is quite enough." Minerva dismissed them, though she stared at Bella with deep shrewdness in her gaze.

"As you are probably already aware, Professor Longbottom has made quite the entreaty on your behalf, Miss Swan. I confess I have never seen him so insistent."

"Yeah, he-he's really great," Bella replied quietly.

"Indeed," Minerva agreed. "I have granted his request, and I am willing to offer you a place in this school. There are three classrooms that would benefit with the aid of an assistant. I will allow you to choose whichever is most desirable."

Bella picked up the list Professor McGonagall slid in her direction and saw three classes written in meticulous script:

_Divination_

_History of Magic_

_Muggle Studies_

Muggle Studies wasn't her _cup of tea_ as a few of her new friends might say, and Hermione had already warned her to steer clear of Divination, so there was really only one feasible option.

"I'll help out with History of Magic."

The headmistress raised a brow. "You are full of surprises, Miss Swan. Professor Binns requires assistance with handing out texts, testing materials, and collecting coursework throughout each term. You will be expected to aid him in administering grades, so I trust you will do your best to keep up with the research materials on your own."

It didn't seem to be any less work than her anthropology studies at the university.

"I shouldn't have any trouble with that kind of work. Why can't Professor Binns do those things...if you don't mind me asking?"

"Cuthbert Binns has been a ghost for the past fifty-seven years. I suggest that you try to keep up with the staff and students, Miss Swan, if it is your wish not to attract attention."

"Thanks." Feeling humbled, Bella exited into the hall to get some fresh air.

She made her way down the deserted seventh floor corridor and came across a large door covered in burn marks and creased with ashy dust. A strange sense of déjà vu enveloped her senses as she neared the wall, but shaking her head, she returned quickly to the Grand Staircase. After everything she'd learned about the wizarding world thus far, she wasn't about to walk into another strange place without being completely certain of what was there.

* * *

After wandering around the castle for several more minutes Bella found her way to the Great Hall and spotted several members of the staff eating lunch. Neville, who had saved her a seat, motioned with a tilt of his head for her to join him. Hannah Abbott was a few seats away from him, looking particularly well coiffed.

"So it turns out that some of us Hufflepuffs were pretty fair at Potions after all!" Hannah laughed amongst the other teachers as she daintily sipped pumpkin juice. "In the end going back to school was the best decision my friends and I ever made."

Bella sat down next to Neville, who stared at her with silent intensity, and their encounter from the night before flashed through her brain. With a blush she stared at the plate in front of her and tried to pay attention to the ensuing conversation.

"Rumor has it that you turned down a research post at St. Mungo's to teach here," the Astronomy professor noted. "What brought you back to Hogwarts?"

Bella spied the blonde's eyes flickering over to Neville for a fraction of a second. "I suppose part of me will always be attached to this place."

…

It wasn't like Bella didn't trust Neville. _She did_. It was just irritating to see that someone else obviously had feelings for him too. Still, she resolved to be welcoming and polite – for now.

"So how many of you and your friends ended up getting your NEWTS in Potions?" She did her best to smile.

Hannah stared at her, blinking several times – possibly from shock. "Only two of us – Zacharias Smith and myself." Then without blinking she posed her own question to Bella. "And what brings you here, Isabella? I suppose you'll be attending as a student? You must be terribly behind."

Bella turned red from embarrassment. She wasn't _that_ young! Thankfully Professor McGonagall interrupted Hannah's clear attempt at provocation.

"Miss Swan has no need for further instruction, Miss Abbott. She is staying indefinitely to assist Professor Binns."

"Binns?" Neville nearly choked on his pumpkin juice beside her. "Surely a position more...interactive would suit Bella better."

"No...I like History. I'm sure it'll be great."

Neville leaned in close to her ear, and his breath tickled her skin. "You say that now, but trust me; your tune will change by week's end."

"We'll see." Bella was determined to prove everyone wrong. Surely this Professor Binns couldn't be _that_ horrible.


	23. Like Seeing a Ghost

**Chapter 23: Like Seeing a Ghost**

Bella found the dusty door to Professor Binns' office not too long after lunch, and she tapped on the door lightly.

"Professor Binns?" There was no answer. "Professor Binns, I'm coming in."

She creaked open the door of the office with great effort, and it seemed no one had set foot inside the place in months. She was about to turn around and leave when she spotted him floating near the open window.

"Cuthbert...Binns?" she called out.

"Mm...yes?" The shriveled ghost of a man floated down until he was eye level with Bella. "Have we met?" he squinted.

"No, I'm Bella Swan, your new assistant for the year."

"Very good, very good. Mm, you look ever familiar, Miss Swenson." He floated from side to side as he stroked his transparent chin.

"It's Miss _Swan_." She nearly rolled her eyes. "And we've never met."

"Hm, yes, perhaps," he mumbled. "Grab a quill, Miss Swain. There is much to write before the start of term."

It was a good two hours before she left his office with an achy hand covered in ink. Merlin, she needed to smuggle in a few ballpoint pens before school started.

* * *

The remainder of the afternoon Bella settled in to practice her magic. After her embarrassment at lunch and Snape's reprimand earlier that morning, she had no desire to be thought of as some charity case or mistake.

She reviewed everything she'd found about Legilimency, Occlumency, and Memory charms; then Bella went back to the normal spells, mustering the courage to try a few basic ones she'd failed in casting previously. She thought it best to start simple, using a feather she'd borrowed from Professor Flitwick.

"_Wingardium Leviosa."_

...nothing.

She'd done everything right according to the textbook, but it seemed that textbook methods had little effect. After a few more failed attempts she decided to think about all the times her magic had worked.

Neville had been there sometimes, though not always. But every time she did successfully cast a spell around him there was something..._more_ she could feel in her veins. Maybe she just had to find that depth to learn _all_ the spells.

She focused on the feather and let that feeling sink into her skin. Everything was the feather. Everything that had ever happened in her life was so that one lone feather could fly now. Lifting her wand, she tried again.

_Wingardium Leviosa._

The feather rose a few inches and promptly exploded into flame. With a gasp Bella lowered her wand and disposed of all the evidence at once.

_So that was a bad idea_, she grimaced.

Flipping through her textbook she began practicing the Bedazzling Hex instead. Sure, it was technically more complex, but those rules hardly applied to Bella.

Pointing her wand at a chair, she said the incantation in her mind, and it became encased in a glittering, white haze. _Hmm_, that meant it had probably worked. In any case, it looked awesome – ethereal even – so Bella began to try it on every piece of furniture in the room.

_Invisibilis Obscurus...Invisibilis Obscurus...Invisibilis Obscurus. _

This was way cooler than getting a feather to float. Forget Snape! Maybe this particular hex was easier for her, since she'd already mastered another kind of invisibility. Either way, she was grateful to have another spell under her belt.

Bella relaxed on her bed for a few minutes when a knock on the door made her jump.

_"Can I come in?"_

It was Neville, and Bella felt her insides get fuzzy. "Yeah, door's open!

"—So now that you're staying for sure, you really ought to have a password on your..._Merlin's Ghost, _what happened to all of your furniture?"

"Oh yeah—" Bella scooped up her wand and cast the counter charm, which misted over the entire room. "Sorry, I got a little overenthusiastic with the Bedazzling Hex."

He shook his head in astonishment. "Great Godric, Bella. Is there anything you can't do?"

She thought of the exploding feather and bit her lip. "Still can't do a levitation charm," she shrugged. It was _mostly _the truth, but she wasn't ready to burden Neville with complicated exactitudes, especially when school was about to start.

"No one's going to notice the spells you can't cast if you keep pulling off magic of this caliber."

Bella blushed and met him at the door, smirking as she took in his appearance. "You look...cleaner than usual."

"Well," he ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at a wall. "I thought maybe you'd want to have a private dinner, away from everyone else tonight."

She snorted, "This _private_ dining wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Potions Mistress, would it?"

He took one of Bella's hands and rubbed his thumb against the base of her palm. "If I thought you needed protecting from the likes of Hannah Abbott, I'd be the first one by your side. But, I have to confess that this invitation is considerably less...noble than that."

She noticed a hint of warmth creep up his cheeks, and her eyes widened.

"Neville Longbottom!" she feigned a gasp. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Is it working?" he grinned handsomely.

She'd planned on making some witty retort to keep up the banter, but Bella felt her heart thump unevenly as she gazed into his eyes.

"Maybe," she barely breathed, pulling him closer by the neck of his shirt. As their lips met in a heated kiss, Bella flicked her wand toward the door, locking it without a second's hesitation.


	24. Unexpected Situations

**Chapter 24: Unexpected Situations**

**August 19, 2007**

Bella stared in the mirror at the dark spot on her neck with a frown. Of all the things she thought she'd have to hide in life, a _"love bite"_ certainly wasn't one of them. She'd been so into the moment last night that rationality hadn't quite made it to her list of priorities, but now Bella wished she at least had a turtleneck sweater or a scarf.

She ultimately settled on a layer of foundation and powder that matched her pale skin tone and hoped for the best. Then she joined Neville at the gate to head to Hogsmeade.

"Excited to see your friends?" He said as they walked hand in hand along the road.

Her fingertips brushed against the skin of his knuckles, and she shivered involuntarily, remembering the events of the previous night. "Yep, that's me. All kinds of excited." _All kinds that she shouldn't be thinking about at the moment…_

He tilted his head with skepticism written all over his face. "You sure you're alright?"

She shook her head briskly. "I'm fine. I was just kind of distracted."

"Is that so?" he smirked with a knowing expression. "What about?"

Her eyes flickered to his lips, and her breath caught in her throat. "N-nothing..."

"Oh, really?" he laughed.

"Shut up," she smacked him playfully. "We're going to be late to Ron's brother's party."

"Percy's not going to care two knuts whether we're late or not."

"But it would be rude to keep Jacob and Leah waiting."

He groaned, looking at Bella with a hint of longing. "What have you done to me, Bella Swan?"

"I'm just teaching you basic etiquette!"

"You know, I used to be the responsible one! I just...feel reckless around you," he finished quietly, and Bella felt her pulse quicken.

"I know what you mean," she murmured in reply.

They were nearing the first shops around Hogsmeade, and she sighed, knowing that any of the _distractions _currently occupying her thoughts would have to wait until later.

Jacob, Leah, Hermione, and Ron were already waiting by The Three Broomsticks when she and Neville rounded the corner.

"See, I told you it was them," Leah burst out triumphantly to Jacob, who was scowling.

Bella stared at them, stunned. Had Jacob and Leah completely switched personalities? The she-wolf beamed brightly, whereas Jake looked like he'd swallowed something rotten.

"Amazing!" Hermione beamed as she turned to Neville. "Leah knew it was the both of you solely from the amount of pheromones each of you are exuding. It's absolutely fascinating what she and Jacob can do!"

Ron snickered, and Bella blushed fiercely as she realized exactly what Hermione was insinuating. _Oh, Godric..._

"Whatever, can we just go to the party now?" Jake grumbled, and she finally understood why he'd been scowling. _Poor Jacob_. Maybe he'd meet someone at the party...

They apparated to the borders of the Weasley property at the bottom of the hill and stepped carefully over a few new gnome holes as they neared the impending festivities.

"Now remember, don't mention Neville's portkey to anyone in the house!" Hermione warned. "If Percy gets wind that I created an unauthorized international portkey, he'll have my head. Oh, and Leah, do you remember everything I warned you about?"

Leah nodded. "Don't accept sweets from any of the red heads, and when in doubt – ask you first."

"Oi, I take offence to that!" Ron glared lightly at his wife.

"Oh, relax darling, it was simpler to generalize."

There were a few crashes heard from inside as they drew closer to the entrance, and Ron paled.

"Sounds like Mum's in one of her tempers."

Ron led them in through the front door, but Jacob stopped dead in his tracks, blocking the rest of them as a willowy blonde crossed their path.

"Jake, you okay?" Bella stared at him quizzically.

"That girl—" His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open. "—I think I imprinted."

"Oh no you haven't!" Hermione stamped her foot to everyone's surprise. "Gabrielle, could you be a dear and bring this silverware to Molly?" She handed a parcel to the blonde, who stared back in dismay. "It sounds like absolute chaos in the kitchen."

Gabrielle sniffed shortly and disappeared, and Hermione folded her arms assuredly. "Still feel like you've imprinted, Jacob?"

He frowned for a few seconds. "No...but I don't underst—"

"Do you recall the information I gave you about veelas?"

"I thought they were birds..." he said, nodding vaguely.

"They are humanoids who can shift into avian form when they feel threatened." He just looked more confused, and Hermione threw her hands against her face. "They're like sirens, Jacob. Surely you've heard of those."

His eyes dawned with recognition. "Oooooh."

"Right, so let me assure you right now that none of the French speaking witches you meet tonight are your soul mate."

Leah snorted, earning a death glare from Jacob, but eventually he took a deep breath to prepare himself for whatever supernatural lures lay ahead.

* * *

Bella met several new faces throughout the course of the evening. First there was Percy, whose stoic demeanor strongly reminded her of Jasper, and his wife and two daughters. Then there was Bill, Fleur, and their children. Bella was sure she'd met everyone, when an elderly witch and a young boy with deep blue hair burst in through the fireplace.

"Oh, Andromeda! Teddy, darling! We're so delighted you could come." Mrs. Weasley bustled around the pair, helping them get settled.

"No bother, Molly. Teddy's been in and out of St. Mungo's. He's only just been released."

"St. Mungo's? Good heavens, whatever for?"

Leah strayed from behind Jacob and Ron and wandered to the boy with blue hair. "He's in so much pain." Then she looked right at the blue-haired boy. "How can you stand it?"

"I'm stronger than I look." The boy named Teddy shrugged away from Leah and back to the old lady.

"Oh, forgive me!" Mrs. Weasley threw her hands in the air. "Andromeda, allow me to introduce you to Leah and Jacob. They're the muggle shapeshifters staying with Ron and Hermione."

"Shapeshifters, dear me."

Jacob folded his arms proudly. "We shift into wolves."

Bella noticed Teddy flinch at Jacob's words and wondered what he was hiding.

"And Isabella Swan is their acquaintance, and Neville you know of course."

Andromeda shook Neville's hand and appraised Bella with keen interest. "An unusual choice, Mister Longbottom. I hear she obliviated young Polonius Burke."

"Let's all move to the kitchen, shall we?" Mrs. Weasley interrupted before anything else could be said.

Bella was grateful to the Weasley matriarch. It wasn't like she had meant to wipe the Potions Master's memory. She peered at the woman and then to the boy, whose hair had brightened to a shocking cyan.

For a group of beings so diverse, they certainly could be judgmental. She brought her hand to her neck, feeling even more self-conscious than before.


	25. The Pain of an Empty Heart

**Chapter 25: The Pain of an Empty Heart**

"The healers say that his abilities as a metamorphmagus have kept the werewolf gene at bay for most of his life, but as he ages the transformation will become inevitable. I'm getting too old to deal with the boy's antics, and it only gets worse around the full moon."

Bella listened in rapt silence at the dinner table through the cacophony of overlapping conversations. Teddy had inherited the werewolf gene from his father? She could hardly imagine what it would be like for a child to have to deal with that.

"Isn't there anyone who could help?" Molly asked, her face creased with worry.

"Harry stops in when he can, and Mister Thomas says hello from time to time."

"You mean Dean?" Neville piped in.

"Aye," she nodded. "Such a sweet, young man. He sought me out after the war to let me know about my dear Ted – wanted to make sure I was looked after."

"How is Dean? We haven't heard from him in ages." Hermione sipped her tea politely.

"He's a professional footballer last I heard. The lad did always prefer it to Quidditch."

"Bloody mental," Ron muttered under his breath.

Leah, who had been sitting quietly like Bella for most of the conversation, cleared her throat.

"I know I'm not magical like you guys, but I can shift into a wolf whenever I want. I'd be glad to stay with you and help for a while."

Several eyes widened, including Bella's.

"I say..." Teddy's grandmother considered the proposition carefully. "Hermione, dear, what are your thoughts?"

"Miss Clearwater has certainly proved her trustworthiness since her stay. She even allowed me to use legilimency for my research on pack's mental link. It's absolutely fascinating!" Ron coughed slightly, and Hermione reigned in her exposition at once. "Right, thank you, Ron. Mrs. Tonks, I think having Leah stay with you would be a fine idea, so long as her pack allows it. They're quite tightly knit from what I've gathered in my research."

Leah turned to Jacob hopefully, and his face fell into a deep grimace. "I'll talk to Sam."

"If they're in their lupine state they can communicate via mind link—" Hermione spouted on.

Bella peered at Leah, who was glancing at Teddy hopefully, and it was all she could do to keep from gasping.

_Had Leah...imprinted?_

* * *

It was nearing midnight when Bella found Leah sitting by the lake.

"Are you...okay?"

"I'm enjoying the prospect of freedom."

"Oh." Bella hadn't expected that answer. "Is that why you volunteered to help Teddy?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure that's the only reason?"

Leah peered over with an annoyed expression. "What are you trying to say?"

"I mean...did you..."

She must have realized what Bella was really asking, because she groaned loudly. "Leave it alone, Bella—"

Bella couldn't help it. She just...had to know. "Did you imprint on him?"

"I don't need to imprint on someone to recognize a kindred soul." She turned to Bella with fierceness in her gaze. "This boy needs someone who can help him during a full moon – someone who can relate to the pain of having to shift into an animal, of having to be a part of something that's beyond his control. I understand that pain better than anyone."

"Well, what about your pack? You can't just stay here forever."

"The pack will understand. I was never wanted there...maybe this is what I'm supposed to do."

She had no reply. Perhaps this _was_ Leah's destiny. Bella certainly had no room to argue. She started walking back to the house when Jacob jogged over in his shorts.

"Hey there, Bella."

"You were gone awhile," she said, avoiding the sight of his bare chest as he ostentatiously stretched his arms.

"Yeah, well, I had to wait almost two hours for someone to phase. I hope there's cake left."

"Hermione saved some for you. She even jinxed the plate, so Ron couldn't sneak a bite."

Jacob laughed. "They're good folks. A little weird – but nice."

"So do you think you're going to want to stay here like Leah?"

His gaze dropped to the ground. "Actually, I'm heading home as soon as Hermione can set up a portkey."

"What?" Bella burst out. "School doesn't start two and half weeks. You should stay and enjoy yourself."

"That's the thing, Bella. I'm not enjoying myself." He gazed at her with an expression that made her nervous. "Hermione and Ron, and even that weird blonde lady they've got babysitting Rose all the time, they're great and all—"

"Then what is it?" She wasn't entirely sure she should ask.

"I tried...so hard to be happy for you. I tried to move on. But I can't _stand_ seeing you with that wizard, Bella. I can't stand it, when I know if I'd just tried a little harder, it might've been me."

He stepped closer, and Bella took several steps backward. "I'm...sorry, Jake. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about Neville. Not you. Not even Edward."

His face contorted with pain, and he disappeared into the tall brush surrounding the lake. Within seconds she heard his howl echo through the air.

"What did you do now, Swan?" Leah appeared by her side with a surprising scowl.

"I told him that I chose Neville. I had...no idea he'd take it like that."

The she-wolf shook her head slowly. "Deep down he knows it's over. What you have with that wizard...it feels a lot like what Sam and Emily have. But there's no getting over that, Bella – not when you're the one who's been left behind."

Leah took off after Jacob, and Bella stood there sadly, wondering why the path to true love had to be strewn with so much heartache. She hoped for Jacob and Leah's sakes, that they would find loves of their own soon.

* * *

**_This chapter was sad to write, but Jacob needed to go back sometime. I couldn't reasonably let him skip school; it's his senior year! Also...sorry If you wanted Leah imprint on Teddy. I thought about it long and hard and ultimately decided to go a different direction. Thanks for reading and for all the lovely feedback! -V_**


	26. A True Gryffindor

**Chapter 26: A True Gryffindor**

**August 28, 2007 **

Several days passed, and Bella found herself studying harder than ever. Wizarding History stretched back further back than she'd ever imagined. Fortunately, Madam Pince, the librarian, was incredibly helpful, suggesting only the most concise tomes to start out, and soon she was confident enough to at least pass the O.W.L.s if she had to.

There had been so many wars between feuding species or amongst wizards she'd read about, and it was especially astonishing to see how closed off the magical world had become after the International Statute of Secrecy passed in the seventeenth century.

Textbooks weren't exactly clear concerning the cause of the Statute's passing. Tensions had been growing with muggles, but couldn't a team of Obliviators have taken care of that? A few of the books Bella read had suggested that a small sect of wizards and witches had actually brought about the Wizarding World's need to hide, but she couldn't find anything else.

She approached Madam Pince the following morning, returning the books she had finished.

"You look troubled, Miss Swan."

"I was just trying to find some books from the medieval and early modern era, but almost all of them are missing."

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Swan. Very few copies of those books exist, and the only copies available to Hogwarts are locked away in Professor Binns' study."

"Can't someone just unlock it?"

The librarian pursed her lips. "The last five staff members who made an attempt to break into the deceased professor's study each ended up at St. Mungo's for several weeks, but be my guest."

Bella frowned and rushed to Professor Binns' room. Per usual, he was floating by the window, staring at the mountainous terrain.

"Why can't anyone get in your study?" She folded her arms and glared at the ghost.

"Ah, Miss Swain, a pleasure to see you, I'm sure."

"Why. can't. anyone. get. into. your. study?" she repeated.

"Of course, of course. Many try and many fail, Miss Swain."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It is hopeless, I'm afraid. In my days I found myself the target of many a cruel prank. No matter, of course, but the books – the books had to be protected." He floated down eyeing her steadily. "It was old magic, tied to the school. I enchanted the room so no one apart from myself could enter it."

Bella's mouth fell open. "Isn't there some kind of loophole?" She was becoming quite skilled at them after all.

"As I said, the magic is tied to the school itself. The study originally belonged to Godric Gryffindor himself. It is possible, perhaps, that a descendant or close relation could open it. The enchantment is much like the one used by Merlin with the sword in the stone. Only those who attempt to tamper with its magic will find themselves at odds. Any others may freely try."

"Thank you, Professor." Bella exited his room, feeling stumped. How could she find someone related to Godric Gryffindor?

"There you are, Bella." She peered up to see Neville, holding a picnic basket with an adorable smile. "I thought you might be hungry."

Part of her wanted to go to the fourth floor immediately, just to see what was so special about the study, but time with Neville was growing fewer and farther in between, and when it came down to it, there was really no contest.

Godric Gryffindor and his descendants could wait.

* * *

She was just polishing off her pumpkin juice on the soft picnic blanket when Professor Binns' study came creeping back into her thoughts.

"Hey Neville, does Hogwarts keep some kind of Wizarding Genealogy?"

He shook his head hesitantly. "I'm not sure. Have you talked to Madam Pince?"

Bella drummed her fingers against her knee. "Not about that specifically. It's just...there's a bunch of books locked away in Professor Binns' study, but no one can get in unless they're related to Godric Gryffindor – or unless they're Professor Binns."

"So you're actually liking working with Binns?" he eyed her incredulously.

"I mean, he's not the most engaging guy—"

"—you mean he's a dreadful bore."

Bella smacked him lightly. "The _history _is fascinating, regardless of the instructor. I've read through every textbook I can get my hands on, but some of the old and ancient stuff is missing from the library."

"Merlin, you sound like Hermione," Neville grinned. "I bet it would drive her mad if you found those books. You'd know more about Wizarding History than any witch or wizard at Hogwarts for sure."

"Yeah, well that's not going to happen. With my luck there probably aren't any Gryffindor descendants left."

"Well, let's go have a look then." He waved his wand, packing up their lunch, and he walked her back into the castle. "Is it on the first floor?"

"Fourth, actually."

"I don't mind the walk," he smirked. "I feel like I haven't seen you in days."

It was almost true, she realized. Between her studies and Neville's lesson preparations, she was lucky if they caught each other at mealtimes. "Maybe we can spend some time together before classes start. How's your Herbology stuff coming?"

"I'm almost done preparing lessons, but the plants always need looking after, and now with duelling—"

"Dueling?" she exclaimed. "They teach that in school?"

"Not always," he shrugged. "But Hannah convinced Professor McGonagall that 'my skills shouldn't go to waste', so I'm the new instructor." He rolled his eyes as they made their way up the stairs.

_Hannah...why was Bella not surprised._ "You must be pretty great at it if they asked you to teach."

Color filled his cheeks. "Mind you, I used to be dreadful. I suppose the war changed that. Harry taught a lot of us in the beginning."

"In Dumbledore's Army, I remember reading about that."

He nodded. "Well, after the war I trained with the Aurors, and it just became instinctual after a while. Apparently I was really good. The Department threw a right fit when I handed in my resignation," He paused with a far-off look in his eyes. "—but catching criminals day after day...that was never the life for me."

"Are you going to be okay teaching dueling?"

He actually laughed. "These kids aren't Death Eaters, Bella. It'll be fine. It just means less time to spend the way I'd like." His eyes ran over her longingly, causing her to blush deeply.

"H-hey, quality over quantity," she finally managed.

"Don't be daft, Bella. Every second with you _is quality_."

Her cheeks grew hotter as she led him down a small corridor on the fourth floor. There wasn't much past the History of Magic classroom, but down at the end they spied a intricately adorned – albeit dusty – door.

"Are you having a go at me?" Neville stared at the door for several seconds.

"What?" She had no clue why he suddenly appeared so...uncertain.

"This is Professor Binns' study?"

"Well, yeah."

"The one _no one_ can get into?"

"Yes." She was getting slightly frustrated. "What's wrong?"

He turned the knob, and the door swung open easily, allowing several years of dust to come billowing out.

"I've been in here before."

...

Well, Bella didn't see that one coming.

* * *

The study must have had an undetectable extension charm placed on it, because they spied rows upon rows of bookshelves in the dim light.

Bella breathed in awe as she drew open one of the draperies. "There must be...a thousand books here."

Neville used his wand to siphon away most of the dust. "I wasn't exactly focused on the books when I found this place the first time. I was a first year then, and Draco Malfoy and his goons were trying to practice a curse on me. I ran in here and just sort of camped out until they left."

"Well, you know what this means, don't you? You're a descendant of Gryffindor!"

"I suppose." Neville scratched the back of his head, looking around. "I mean, I'd have to be one according to Binns, but no one in the family ever mentioned it before. You think we'd have it on our coat of arms and hanging in the entryway."

"They must not know about it then," Bella shrugged. It wasn't like she knew her family history or anything.

"But that's the sort of thing a Pureblood family _would _know. Something feels off."

"Then I'll look into it. If Hogwarts doesn't have the records I'll send an owl to Hermione."

"I could do it just as easily."

"Don't be so stubborn; I'm trying to help. Besides, it's probably something complicated like an illegitimate child or a distant, unknown relative."

"Perhaps." He grinned softly and wrapped his arms around her waist, and nearly a full minute passed before he spoke again. "...Bella?"

"Hm?" she hummed, enjoying the warmth of his embrace.

"Do you think...would you want to meet _my_ parents?"

_Oh. _She recalled the stories of what had happened to his parents and how reverently Neville spoke of them. It would be a major step in their relationship for her to be a part of such a personal part of Neville's life, but she was ready. Swallowing, she pulled back with increasing amounts of moisture crinkling in the corners her eyes.

"I'd like that."

* * *

_**Did you notice that even when they're talking Neville uses British spelling and Bella uses American? Lol, I didn't know how else to write 'dueling'...**_

_**Not sure how I felt about this chapter. It had a lot of exposition, but I hope you guys found it satisfactory. Thanks for reading! -V**_


	27. Puzzle Pieces

**Chapter 27: Puzzle Pieces**

**August 29, 2007**

The next day she stood with Neville on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, eyeing a large sign with the words "Spell Damage" embossed across the front.

Neville seemed nervous as he glanced past the small squares of glass along the double doors, so Bella squeezed his hand tightly.

"I know there's nothing to be afraid of. Your parents are heroes."

He nodded defiantly and pulled the doors open.

A healer with deep red hair and a saccharine smile greeted them as they entered the closed ward. "Mister Longbottom, always a pleasure."

"Good day, Ms. Appleby," he gestured slightly.

The healer led them to a pair of beds where an aged couple was taking naps.

"Alice has been asleep close to forty-five minutes, but I'm afraid Frank has just barely begun his rest."

"It's alright." Neville pulled up stools for them to sit, and Ms. Appleby left them to their own devices. "Sometimes it's easier to see them when they're asleep. Dad can get a bit _enthusiastic _when he has visitors."

Bella couldn't tear her eyes away from Neville's mother. Wispy tufts of white hair tumbled around the loose folds of skin adorning her face. Even in sleep she looked restless, inhaling in a short, scattered rhythm.

"I wonder what goes through their minds," she whispered.

"The healers say that it's not much of anything...but at least there's no pain."

She pulled out her wand from her pocket and began to twirl it around her fingers methodically. "How would they know? What spell would they even use?" She twisted her wand in between her hands. "Legilimens? Obliviate?"

Without warning Bella felt herself thrown forward and sent through a brightly glimmering tunnel of light. Then she promptly landed in a soft, dimly lit cave.

"Neville?" she called out, but there was no answer except the dull rumble of sounds echoing from the walls. _Where was she?_

The walls of the cave appeared to play like broken television screens, each angular shape holding an image or a clip of moving frames that repeated over and over again.

_Wait. _Was this...the brain of Neville's mother?

She saw a few frames of the scarlet-haired healer from earlier and Neville's father in a few others. But brains didn't look like this from what she'd gathered in any number of science classes.

Bella considered the possibilities_. _Maybe it was a magical projection of the mind. This seemed much more likely, and she peered around with increasing wonderment.

Stepping a bit further in, the cave broadened into a tunnel of colors, much like an abstract painting. Looking up she spotted strands of memories dangling all around. They spiraled down like a helix of interwoven, microscopic tent poles, dimly shimmering amidst the canvas of Alice Longbottom's mind.

Going even deeper into the swirl of memories, Bella realized that most of the strands lay shattered and strewn beneath her feet, and their crackling, spastic sparks had all but faded. Reaching toward the mass of broken pieces of the witch's mind, she touched one of the shards of memory.

Like a puzzle piece trying to find its way amidst a thousand other puzzles, the fragment began to glow, and to Bella's astonishment several other pieces on the ground began to emit their own faint gleam as well.

Stumbling through the sea of lost memories she gathered another of the glowing pieces, and like a magnet it attached to the first shard.

_"They were Aurors, you know, and very well respected within the Wizarding Community..."_

Bella gasped. She seemed to be...piecing together a memory Neville's mother had lost. Carefully making her way through the rest of the debris, she touched another glowing piece, and the memory swirled with life.

_"Very well, Alice dear, very well — Neville, take it, whatever it is. . ."_

_"Thanks, Mum."_

The connections within each piece caused the memory to tremble within Bella's hands, and several more glowing pieces flew toward her, sealing themselves together until it was complete.

She couldn't believe what was happening. What if she could do this with all of Frank and Alice's memories? What if she could heal them?

Scooping up the piece of a different memory, Bella froze, inundated with the sound of screams. It was like Rosalie's agonized shrieks in the forest, only magnified a hundredfold.

Throwing the fragmented recollection as far away as possible, Bella wrenched herself from Alice's subconscious and began to sob into her hands.

"Bella? Bella, what happened, are you alright?"

She shook her head violently, continuing to cry bleakly as Neville pulled her into his arms.

"Tell me what happened, Bella. You were in...some kind of trance."

"I don't know what happened," she trembled in in arms. "I was just there. I was...in her mind somehow, and then I saw her pain. I heard her screams. I—how could anyone do something like that; how could I have done that to Rosalie?"

She cried into Neville's shoulder for several more minutes until his mother began to stir.

Neville tucked a piece of Droobles Blowing Gum into her hand and smiled softly. "I brought you something, Mum."

She blinked at him curiously several times. Then, looking more lucid than Bella would have imagined, she whispered, "_Neville._"

His mouth fell open, and he was speechless for several seconds.

"Neville," his mother murmured again, but this time she reached out, grasping his hand weakly.

"Mum?" his voice broke, and Bella was sure tears were streaming down his cheeks.

Neville's father roused and blinked at the scene for a few seconds before he began to convulse.

"NAAAAAAAAAAH!" He lunged at Bella, but Neville shielded her with his body just in time as his father rained his fists down furiously upon his back.

"Great Goddess!" Healer Appleby shouted, and Neville's father was immediately held down and sedated by three of the healers.

"I'm sorry, Mister Longbottom. I know you wanted to see your parents before the start of term. Perhaps tomorrow Frank will be more receptive to visitors."

His mother began absentmindedly chewing her gum and humming to herself, not seeming to pay any mind to the scene unfolding in front of her. Neville looked like he wanted to stay, but he gradually kissed his mother on the cheek and led Bella out of the closed ward.

The moment they stepped into the hall he spun her against the wall and grabbed her arms, gazing with disbelief and a myriad of other unknown emotions. "What did you do to my mother, Bella?"

"I didn't mean to," she shook her head back and forth several times. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about what it must be like, then I was...in her head, and the memories were everywhere, just broken. And I...fixed one. I–I'm sorry, I should've asked before I did anything."

"You're sorry?" Neville choked, taking a step backward. "You—Bella, my mother has _never_ said my name before today." He glanced around the hall looking somewhat frenzied. "And today she looked at me, really looked at me. What you did, Bella...that's not magic, that's a miracle."

Before she could think up anything else to say, Neville leaned forward and captured her lips in a searing kiss, and any trace of doubt faded with the warmth she felt radiating from all around them.

Neville deserved happiness; he deserved a family, and Bella would find a way to restore his parents' memories if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

_**Either this chapter was so farfetched it was absolutely awful, or else I actually managed to make it work. Blah! I pour my heart into this stuff, and it's making me exhausted. Thanks for reading! -V**_


	28. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Chapter 28: Something Wicked This Way Comes**

**August 30, 2007**

Early the next morning Bella set out alone to get some supplies from Diagon Alley and Muggle London. She picked up a bulk pack of ballpoint pens, lots of muggle notebooks, a few quills Hermione recommended, and she even set up her own Gringotts vault.

With plans to rendezvous with Neville later in the day she set off first to meet up with Leah and Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron. The bartender was coughing terribly when Bella entered, so she steered around him carefully in her search for her friends. Finally she found them tucked away in a far corner.

"Hey, guys," she grinned. "Ron, I didn't know you'd be here."

"He's not supposed to be." Hermione quirked an eyebrow.

"Oi, you lot would skive off as well if George kept trying to experiment on _you_!"

Leah began snickering, and Bella recalled her previous encounter with George's beard candies. "What was he trying to do?" she asked with a shudder.

Ron turned a bright shade of red and muttered something indecipherable. Finally Hermione spoke for him between her own laughs.

"George keeps trying to slip Ron something called _gendersnaps_. They mimic the taste and appearance of ginger biscuits, only they cause you to switch genders for up to thirty minutes."

"So he says!" Ron shouted. "One of his _'test subjects' _stayed switched for three bloody days!"

Bella's eyes widened. She'd take the beard over other male anatomy any day.

The barman hobbled over with butterbeer for the ladies and a firewhiskey for Ron.

"Thank you," Hermione half-smiled. "Er, pardon the intrusion, Tom, but are you alright? You don't quite seem yourself lately."

"Me health isn't what it used to be, Miss Hermione, but I manage. Don't you worry about ol' Tom." He left before she could ask anymore questions, and Hermione frowned.

"He's been ill for weeks. I'm worried about him."

"It's not like he has any family to miss him when he's gone," Ron shrugged, earning a death glare from his wife. "I mean," he coughed, "Tom's a good man, and...I hope he recovers."

"Couldn't magic just take care of something like that?" Bella asked. Leah leaned forward without thinking, clearly wanting to know the answer as well.

"That's the conundrum," Hermione's eyes narrowed. "He'd never admit to it, but records show he's been to St. Mungo's twice in the past month. The healers suspect he came in contact with dark magic, but he won't admit to anything."

Leah seemed upset by Hermione's words. "How did you find this out? Don't you people have...doctor-patient confidentiality?"

"Of course we do," she snapped back, looking ruffled. "But when dark magic is suspect there are exceptions."

Leah still appeared flustered, so Bella tried changing the subject. "How are things with Andromeda and Teddy?"

The she-wolf's eyes brightened at once. "I love it there. Teddy–he's so brave, and Andromeda's so understanding about everything." Her eyes almost sparkled while she went on. "It's nice not having to worry about people judging me, you know — people who just saw me as the stilted ex girlfriend of Sam Uley. I feel like I can be my own person here."

"That's wonderful!" Hermione patted her arm.

Ron took a swig of butterbeer and leaned back with his arms folded. "How's Teddy doing? Last night was the full moon, wasn't it?"

_"Two nights ago,"_ his wife corrected immediately.

Leah's face fell slightly. "Not so good. The last few nights have been pretty rough. He's not transforming yet or anything, but I wonder if that potion you guys told me about might help."

Hermione nodded slowly. "I'll look at the data involving the use of wolfsbane on control subjects. If there are no serious side effects, then there's no reason Teddy shouldn't be able to take it as well."

Leah smiled widely. "Thanks. You're a great friend, Hermione."

"Oh, Leah, you're more than welcome!" The witch burst into tears. "S–sorry, it's the hormones!" she cried, and Ron was left to pat her on the back until she was done.

Bella turned to Leah. "How was Jacob when he left?"

"He was...okay. I think getting back home will be good for him."

"That's good..." she trailed off vaguely. There was a commotion near the entrance of the pub, and Bella rose to see what was going on.

_"I'm a supernatural being. I have just as much right pass through here to Diagon Alley as your kind!"_

Chills ran down her spine, and she felt Leah tense next to her.

"It's Rosalie, we have to get out of here," Bella whispered, shooting a warning glance at Ron and Hermione, and they immediately grabbed their wands.

They were just nearing the brick exit when Rosalie caught sight of them and pushed through the onslaught of wizards blocking her path.

_"Impedimenta!" _Hermione cried, and Rosalie slowed...to a human pace.

"What business do you have in Diagon Alley, Miss Hale?" Hermione folded her arms authoritatively.

"I need to see your Wizengamot." Her eyes fell on Bella, and the vampire let out a scathing growl.

"Unless you're going to supply more specifics, I'm afraid that's simply not good enough."

"That girl you're protecting assaulted me using a dark curse, and I intend to see her burn for it."

Bella paled as many of the bar patrons stared in her direction.

"She is no danger to anyone in the Wizarding World."

"I've looked into your bylaws. Her use of the Cruciatus curse against me was illegal. Bella Swan belongs in Azkaban!"

Murmurs filtered through the crowded bar, but Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"The wizarding world is far more than petty vendettas and vigilante justice. Subsection three, one-point-two of that same bylaw clearly states that if a witch or wizard with no prior suspect activity finds his or herself in dire peril they are permitted to use unforgivable curses to defend themselves. Furthermore, we have multiple witnesses who can attest to Bella's innocence regarding the event in question. Your claim has no justification." Rosalie's eyes narrowed, but Hermione was on a roll. "And as Deputy Head for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I can assure you once and for all that the Ministry of Magic will have _nothing_ to do with your case!" Hermione spat. "You're out of your element, Miss Hale."

A thin smile spread across the beautiful vampire's face. "We'll see." The she vanished the way she came, leaving a flurry of dust in her wake.

Ron patted Bella's back. "Don't think on it, Bella. She can't hurt you here."

But Bella couldn't help the feeling of foreboding that settled over her senses. Something was coming...something bad.


	29. What No One Can See

**Chapter 29: What No One Can See**

**August 31, 2007**

Bella had been holed up in her room since the encounter with Rosalie. She'd canceled her plans with Neville, skipped dinner, and had been practicing her magic every moment since.

It was a combination of frenzied feelings that motivated her. Bella had a feeling that Hermione hadn't quite scared off the blonde vampire, and it wouldn't hurt to learn and perfect as many spells as possible, but there was also the fact that school started the following evening, and she didn't want people thinking she was a squib like Filch.

Neville came by to bring her something to eat when she didn't show up to breakfast, but Bella could hardly think about food. She had to prove herself. She had to make sure she'd be prepared when Rosalie made her next move.

After a few dismal attempts at getting objects to fly and trying to summon a pillow from her bed, she gave up and plopped down on the mattress.

_Latesco._

She folded her legs and leaned back, observing the frosty, blue, second skin that shimmered over her body as it vanished from view. She tried tugging on it, stretching it with her mind, and anything else she could think of, but it remained firmly fixed like a sort of exoskeleton.

Bella was inclined to believe it was the physical manifestation of her shield, but it was so firmly attached to her person that there was probably no use trying to manipulate it.

With a few choice waves of her wand, everything in her room became invisible, and she laid back with a sigh. _Was there an extent to what she could make disappear?_ She pointed her wand at the draperies, but they remains visible as ever. Oh well, it must have been a protective enchantment of the castle.

She peered down at her hands and was struck with a crazy idea. _What about her wand? _It was an irrational notion, but what if she succeeded? And she could practice that prolonged shield charm she'd been aching to try.

_Protego Totalum._

Drawing her wand in a sharp arc, she created a shield that curved like a tidal wave, and it stayed in place to her delight after she lowered her arm. If the spell could deflect at exactly the right angle, it might hit her wand...at least, that's what she hoped.

_Okay, here goes..._

_Invisibilis Obscurus!_

The wand ricocheted off the shield and bounced toward Bella's Bed. She dived, hand outstretched, and managed to catch the beam with her wand. Unfortunately Bella continued to sail through the air and crashed into the window with a great bang.

"Unnngh..."

The sound must have echoed into the hall, because moments later she heard a knock.

"Miss Swan! Are you in need of assistance?" a voice squeaked outside the door.

_Professor Flitwick!_ She'd never been so grateful to hear his high-pitched tone. With a haphazard jab of her wand the door swung open, and the Charms Professor bustled inside.

"Raging Hippogriffs!" His eyes bulged at the sight of well...nothing.

"Sorry, hang on," she groaned, waving her wand around the room.

The shield dissipated, the furniture became visible, and Bella came into view in front of the great stain glass window.

"I think I broke something."

Without so much as blinking he zapped her onto a stretcher. "Morgana's Ghost, Miss Swan, whatever were you attempting to accomplish whilst crumpled on a window ledge?"

"Um..." She peered at her wand, which now shimmered in her hand. "I was just practicing some spells. I guess I got a little carried away." She rubbed her right ankle and winced with pain.

Would Professor Flitwick notice her wand was no longer visible? He began levitating her and the stretcher toward the hospital wing, and Bella took the opportunity to stash her wand in her pocket.

"Responsibility, Miss Swan! That above all is that which we strive. None of this reckless tomfoolery—"

"—It won't happen again," she cut in quickly, hoping to prevent a long winded rant.

"Quite right. As a member of the staff you are expected to uphold the values of your house!"

Bella frowned as she registered what he meant. "But I'm not in a house."

Flitwick paused, appraising Bella with shrewdness in his gaze. "Then the solution is easily remedied." A jet of light burst from his wand, and Bella's ankle felt completely healed. With another flick the stretcher disappeared, and she bounced onto her feet. "You must be sorted at once!"

* * *

Ten minutes later Bella sat in Professor McGonagall's office staring at a musty old hat.

"So I'm supposed to put that on my head?" she peered at it with wonder.

"Indeed," the headmistress answered. "Not all staff are required to be sorted, Miss Swan, but I am in agreement with Filius that it may aid you in your efforts to assimilate."

Bella nodded slowly. "Okay, what do I do?"

"Place the sorting hat on your head, and it will decide where you belong."

She took the hat and gingerly placed it on her head, and immediately the hat began to speak.

"An occlumens, eh? A master of shields. Hmm." He was silent for several seconds before a long exhale issued from above her head. "Perhaps sorting is not the path for you after all."

"No, I want to be sorted," Bella talked back.

"Then you must let me in."

"I...don't know how."

"Then I am sorry to say that you cannot be sorted."

The hat said no more, and Bella pulled it from her head, feeling dejected.

"Extraordinary," McGonagall remarked. "I have never met a soul in all my days with the capacity to stump the sorting hat."

"I didn't want to stump the sorting hat. I wanted to find out where I belonged."

"Then perhaps you should learn how to let him in."

Bella left, feeling utterly confused. How was she supposed to let the hat in?

How was she supposed to let _anyone_ in?

* * *

_**Someone pointed out that my title doesn't make sense in regards to the bulk of the plot, so I'm going to change it. Any suggestions? I was thinking of changing the 'Muggle Squib Extraordinaire' part to something about her shield and then in a few chapters dropping the 'Bella Swan' part altogether. **_

_**You all have helped motivate me so much, and I'm so grateful for your feedback! Also, I think "Raging Hippogriffs" is my new favorite exclamation. Thanks for reading! -V**_


	30. Unspoken Familiarity

**Chapter 30 – Unspoken Familiarity  
**

Bella sat in the History of Magic classroom, sorting through papers and pamphlets in sluggish silence. Professor Binns seemed not to notice and continued to float near the upper window.

She knew if anyone had the answers she was seeking it would be him, but Binns wasn't exactly an approachable wizard – notwithstanding the fact that he was a ghost. Finally she worked up the resolve to just ask.

"Professor Binns?"

"Hm? Ah yes, Miss Swain," he floated down with a nod. "All is in order, I presume?"

"Yeah, I'm just about done. I was just wondering...how much do you know about the sorting hat?"

"The cleverest of magic from Godric himself. Sadly the enchantment that he used is unknown to this day."

"Okay—" Bella trailed off, "—I was hoping you might know if the sorting hat had ever..._not_ been able to sort someone."

He stared at her with a veiled gaze for several seconds. "There are no official records, and I am not one who delves readily into legend."

"So you haven't heard of anyone," Bella frowned.

"I did not say that. Unfortunately it was not within the bounds of my conscious memory at the time of my passing and is therefore inaccessible."

"Thanks anyway," she grimaced, sorting through papers once more.

Professor Binns did not return to the window, and Bella could sense his ghostly stare in her peripheral vision.

"May I inquire as to the reason behind this particular quest, Miss Swan?"

_Huh, he'd finally gotten her name right._ "Just curious about tomorrow's sorting ceremony."

"Indeed. Perhaps tomorrow's sorting will offer some clarity."

Bella seriously doubted that. She finished arranging everything for the upcoming week of classes and made her way toward the library.

* * *

After their last conversation Bella wasn't sure Madam Pince liked her very much, and those suspicions only increased when the librarian heard her request.

"The Founding Family Archives?" The witch's nostrils flared with indignation.

Bella swallowed. She didn't want to let on that Neville was somehow related to Gryffindor, especially since he just recently discovered that fact himself.

"Well, I was just hoping—"

"—Hoping you could find a long, lost heir of Gryffindor and use your wiles to exploit a treasure trove of knowledge?"

_Whoa._ Apparently Madam Pince had little patience for Bella's initial ignorance. Before she could get in a word edgewise, the wizened lady went on.

"As if the professors who made similar attempts hadn't tried the very same." She narrowed her eyes and proceeded to lead Bella down a restricted aisle. "Petulant youth, always thinking they know so much more than their predecessors."

"I'm sorry," Bella tried to placate the irritable witch. "I was just curious."

"Save your apologies, dear." Madam Pince pulled a thick tome from a dusty shelf and opened it to a page she must have had memorized. "But I'm afraid your search is in vain." She slapped the book in Bella's hands and left in a hurry.

Bella peered down at the page and frowned. It was impossible, yet it was indisputable. The Gryffindor line was extinct. Godric Gryffindor had no heir. There wasn't a single descendant to his name.

There had to be a less noble connection – some illegitimate progeny who eventually mixed in with the Longbottom line. Unless Neville was somehow related to Professor Binns, though Bella seriously doubted that. She scanned the pages around his pedigree, but all it contained were some flowery art and a few cryptic lines of poetry.

There had to be something Bella was missing. Maybe Hermione would be able to help.

At that moment her stomach grumbled, and she realized she hadn't eaten since Neville brought her breakfast.

She left the library and made her way to the Great Hall for dinner when a newly familiar voice echoed from around the corner of the nearest corridor.

"No, I just figured I'd drop in before the start of term tomorrow. I'd hoped Granger would tag along, but she's always swamped with one project or another."

_Ugh. Cormac McLaggen._ Bella made herself invisible without a second thought and hoped she could slip by unnoticed. As she rounded the corner she noticed a visibly incensed Headmistress replying in a forcibly hushed tone.

"Mister McLaggen, as honored as we are by your impromptu visit, I must inform you that Hogwarts is simply in no position to entertain visitors on the eve of an ensuing term."

"Nonsense, Minnie, I'm just popping in for a moment. You haven't happened to see Isabella Swan, have you? I was hoping for a quick word...see how she's adjusting."

Bella froze in spite of her current camouflage. What could Cormac possibly want with her? She cringed as nebulous explanations filtered into her mind.

Professor McGonagall's mouth contracted into a thin line. "This is a prestigious institution of learning. If Miss Swan has an interest in meeting with you, then I expect the both of you will seek more appropriate avenues than simply gallivanting into one another's work places on a whim."

Cormac frowned. "I suppose I'll have to try another time then."

The headmistress didn't budge an inch. "Good day, Mister McLaggen. Be sure to send my regards to Kingsley."

"You can be sure of that," he grinned a little too broadly before turning to leave through the main doors.

Bella didn't dare breathe until Cormac was well out the door. The exhale must have been louder than she thought, because Professor McGonagall turned toward her with an expression of disapproval.

"Eavesdropping is frowned upon at Hogwarts, Miss Swan."

She immediately cast the countercurse and bit her lip sheepishly. "Sorry, he really just gives me the creeps."

Something behind the elder witch's eyes softened. "Indeed." She motioned for Bella to join her, and the two walked into the Great Hall in silence.

The day had been a failure by all accounts. She'd broken a bone, she hadn't learned to open her mind, and she was nowhere near finding out Neville's lineage to Godric Gryffindor. But Professor McGonagall walked beside her like an equal, and for some strange reason...Bella felt like the day hadn't been a total loss after all.

* * *

**_I know it's been months. I had a miscarriage (my third one…not fun), but now I'm pregnant again and things are going well, so…high hopes! In terms of the story, I have an outline and know pretty well how I want the plot to unfold, but it's been tricky trying to keep it from getting too convoluted, so I just felt really overwhelmed about it for a while. Thanks for being so patient. All of my HP fics will get finished as soon as I can with life, and this one is one of the top priorities on the queue! Thanks so much for sticking around. You guys are great._**


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